Conservative House candidate Jay Kinzler says that while Illinois is a compassionate state, he disagrees with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s signing of the Trust Act, which made Illinois a so-called sanctuary state.
“I think we should always lend a hand when someone needs a hand," Kinzler, a Glen Ellyn Republican, told the DuPage Policy Journal. "I would never be in favor of sending someone back to an area where they are going to be persecuted or violently treated because of their political beliefs."
He added, however, that he had three major disagreements with the idea of a sanctuary state.
“For one thing, a sanctuary state can harbor criminals and it can create a dangerous environment for U.S. citizens,” he said, referring to the case of Kate Steinle in San Francisco. Steinle was shot by an illegal immigrant, Garcia Zarate, who had been deported from the U.S. five times previous to the incident. Zarate has been acquitted in the case.
“No. 2, sanctuary state policies defy federal law in which state and local governments are bound,” Kinzler said.
Kinzler said the United States was a nation of laws with a constitution.
“You can’t break federal laws just because the state decides they wanted to," he aid. "In turn, you can’t expect federal money if you don’t abide by the federal rules that money is tied to.
“No. 3, the reasons sanctuary states should not be allowed is the policies of sanctuary states prevent local and state police officers and county members from doing their jobs effectively," he said.
He said the policies were not only unfair to local residents, but also dangerous.
“We saw in Kate Steinle it resulted in her death,” he said
Kinzler said the issue was a deeper one that reflects the type of society citizens want to have. “It kind of begs the question, what laws do people need to follow? If you have laws, they are meant to be followed. We want to have a law-abiding society.”
He added there were ways to go about changing laws that citizens disagree with.
“If you don’t like a law, you can work at changing it; you shouldn’t just break it," he said.
Kinzler is running in House District 46 against incumbent Rep. Deb Conroy (D-Villa Park). The district includes all or part of Glendale Heights, Carol Stream and Villa Park.
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