NYC’s immigrant communities are the backbone of the City’s economy and it’ll continue to support the growth of the biggest City in the world.  Instead of punishing the hard-working immigrants, political leaders NYC, on both sides of the parties, have given all migrants a sanctuary in NYC.  Besides, is it the local municipals role to even enforce the illegals?

Immigrants Drive City, Mayor Says

BY JILL GARDINER - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 14, 2007
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/60416

Mayor Bloomberg is taking on presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and others who've said the federal government should slash funding for cities that don't strictly enforce immigration laws.

"Boy, let them come," Mr. Bloomberg said yesterday when asked about Mr. Romney's recent remarks denouncing New York as a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants.

While Mr. Bloomberg declined to criticize Mr. Romney or anyone else by name, he said: "I can't think of any laboratory that shows better why you need a stream of immigrants than New York City."

The mayor pointed to New York's low crime rate and its thriving economy as evidence the city is doing something right.

"If that isn't example enough as to why you need immigrants coming in, I don't know what to tell anybody," Mr. Bloomberg said. "If they don't believe that immigrants add a heck of a lot more than they cost they just aren't looking at the numbers."

According to a published report, Mr. Romney criticized his GOP rival, Mayor Giuliani, for running a "sanctuary city" when he was in office. New York allows illegal immigrants access to city services without repercussions, but it has a policy of reporting those caught for criminal activity to the federal government and is not a so-called sanctuary city.

In response to Mr. Romney, Mr. Giuliani, who is unveiling his immigration platform today, shot back that New York had the lowest number of per capita illegal immigrants of any major city. Mr. Bloomberg, a possible 2008 presidential candidate, has said deporting the country's 12 million illegal immigrants would be impossible. He's proposed a national identification card for those legally working.