Photo by yonas1.

When Mayor Vince Gray announced last week that he was ordering D.C. police not to inquire about immigration status during routine stops and operations for minor offenses, members of the District’s immigrant community loudly cheered him on.

But not everyone is happy (certainly not Virginia’s Corey Stewart) that the District is among 31 cities across the country known as “sanctuary cities” — places where local authorities are instructed not cooperate with federal officials in the enforcement of immigration laws.

Over the weekend, The Washington Times’ Deborah Simmons declared that Gray was “on the wrong side of federal immigration laws.” The Examiner’s Jonetta Rose Barras, meanwhile, argued that Gray’s announcement was not only a ploy to satisfy Hispanic supporters, but also pits low-income African American residents against immigrants in the fight for jobs.

“Allowing illegals to stay promotes the exploitation of both those immigrants in no position to protect themselves and push for higher wages and local citizens who would be employed if the playing field were level,” she wrote, citing 2010 mayoral candidate Leo Alexander, who made fighting illegal immigration a part of his campaign.

National groups also inveighed against Gray. Judicial Watch, a right-leaning group that has defended stricter immigration laws and sued sanctuary cities, didn’t so much articulate an argument against Gray’s announcement more than document the various scandals that have been dogging him. The implication is clear — a “scandal-plagued” mayor is giving a pass to lawbreakers.

Bob Dane, the Communications Director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, wrote in a Fox News op-ed that Gray was seeking to “whip up political support with a growing Hispanic community” and that his decision endangered public safety. One notable outtake:

Tonight, somewhere in Washington, D.C., an officer will probably encounter a speeding vehicle and begin a lawful traffic stop asking for license, registration and proof of insurance — a universal verification process that is the same for everyone. And that vehicle might be loaded with 9 people who speak no English, have no driver’s licenses, no vehicle registration, no auto insurance, no social security numbers and maybe only Mexican consular cards or Gold’s Gym Cards. At that point common sense might suggest that asking about immigration status is warranted. But Mayor Gray thinks that D.C. residents will be better off if the officer ignores the obvious and just says “have a nice day” or preferably, ’que tenga un buen días [sic]” … Sanctuary cities are dangerous, costly, and counter-productive to reducing illegal immigration.

The District’s policy, which merely restates local practices that date back over 20 years, prohibits public safety officials from inquiring about immigration and sending fingerprints for a number of minor offenses to the FBI. For major offenses, fingerprints are still sent to the FBI, and the District will hold an individual for an additional 48 hours until the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes to get them. According to Gray and police officials, the policy will encourage members of the immigrant community to cooperate with police during investigations and allow police to focus on more serious crimes.