Sheriff Clarke says 'sanctuary city' officials should be criminally charged

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland -- Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Thursday, February 23rd, said public officials who adopt sanctuary city laws should be charged with a crime.

“I’m telling you right now folks, you charge one mayor, one governor, one council president that adopts these laws – this stuff is going to end right away,” Clarke said during a panel discussion Thursday afternoon.

Sanctuary cities prohibit their police departments from cooperating with federal immigration agents. Clarke said Thursday that such municipalities were “havens for criminal activity.”



Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has denied that Milwaukee is a sanctuary city. The Milwaukee Police Department’s policy states that officers should not notify federal agents unless a suspected illegal immigrant has committed a serious crime.

Milwaukee County supervisors earlier this month adopted a resolution urging Clarke to make the county a sanctuary to illegal immigrants. Clarke has said his deputies will cooperate with federal agents.