In a Thursday video commentary at the Fox News website, Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses the relationship between local government powers and United States government powers that will be on display should Donald Trump, as president, seek to deport large numbers of illegal immigrants. If Trump attempts to implement such deportations, intergovernmental conflict would be expected due to resistance by numerous local governments, including the governments of several of the largest population American cities, that have declared themselves sanctuary cities.
Local governments going their own way in this instance, Napolitano suggests, would be exercising an important check that is built into the American political system to ensure that the US government cannot steamroll individual rights.
Napolitano concludes with the following remark:
I like frustration in government; the more difficult it is to govern, the better it is for human freedom. That is at least the theory of the diffusion of power in the American Constitution and in our democratic republic.
Watch Napolitano’s complete commentary here:
Napolitano discusses sanctuary cities and Trump’s deportation plans more in an editorial published this week.
Napolitano is a member of the Ron Paul Institute Advisory Board.
