House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., warned Monday his home state's refusals to cooperate with federal immigration law "goes against everything that makes us the United States of America."
"The whole concept of having a sanctuary state in California, [that] you are going to pick and choose what law you are going to uphold, goes against everything that makes us the United States of America," McCarthy told Fox Business "Mornings With Maria" host Maria Bartiromo.
"It goes against the core of who we are."
He made his comments while discussing an announcement over the weekend from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could be conducting raids in her city.
According to local news radio station KDWN AM720, Schaaf said she had learned about the raids from numerous sources, and thought it was her "duty and moral obligation as Mayor" to warn the families about when a threat is imminent. The mayor also informed other Bay area mayors about the raids.
"What would stop the next county or next city to say I don't want to live up to the Endangered Species Act or other laws?" said McCarthy, pointing out the death of San Francisco resident Kate Steinle, who was shot by a man who had already been deported five times.
McCarthy said he knows President Donald Trump is "appalled" as well. Last week, Trump said he would consider pulling ICE agents out of California, and McCarthy said he does not think the president was joking.
"One of the most important things that we do as a federal government is protect our border," he said. "An elected official, what is teaching the rest of the country or rest of the constituents that they have, you are going to pick and choose what law you want to uphold? We are a nation of laws. I don't understand that how we can sustain this or continue this."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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