Congressional Bill to De-Fund “Sanctuary Cities” Scheduled for Vote on Tuesday

(Sen. David Vitter, R-LA)

The Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act is scheduled to be voted on by the Senate on Tuesday.  The bill, introduced by Senator David Vitter, a Republican from Louisiana, would withhold federal funds from jurisdictions that fall within the bill’s definition of a “sanctuary city” for choosing not to cooperate with certain federal immigration requests from local law enforcement.  Supporters of the bill have pointed to the death of San Francico resident Kate Steinle and subsequent criminal charges pending against Francisco Sanchez, an individual who who lacked immigration status and had previously been deported.  As Senator Vitter stated in a recent press release, “It’s absolutely ridiculous for a U.S. city to ignore our nation’s immigration laws and provide safe harbor for illegal immigrants, and my bill will send the clear message to all sanctuary cities that their dangerous policies won’t be rewarded anymore.” 

The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, among others, have published op-eds that explain the problems with the bill. The New York Times writes that the Senate bill, and others like it, are “based on the lie, now infecting the Republican presidential campaign, that all unauthorized immigrants are dangerous criminals who must be subdued by extraordinary means,” and that “because crackdowns on sanctuary cities seek to thwart sound law-enforcement policies and the integration of immigrants, they are an invitation to more crime and mayhem, not less.”

-JKoh