As the Trump administration continues its war on sanctuary jurisdictions across the country, Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy introduced anti-sanctuary city legislation with the toughest provisions to date.
The Sanctuary Penalty and Public Protection Act would strip federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions that have policies in place that limit cooperation between their government officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the legislation. Introduced by Roy and co-sponsored by a slate of Republican lawmakers, the bill goes further than past anti-sanctuary city proposals.
If passed and signed into law, the bill would block federal funding from localities that not only block cooperation with federal immigration authorities and fail to comply with immigration detainers, but also target jurisdictions that prohibit the Attorney General or the Department of Homeland Security Secretary from interviewing an incarcerated migrant to determine lawful status and potential criminal activity, according to the bill.
“Upholding law and order should be THE top priority for government,” Roy said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “For too long, sanctuary jurisdictions have abandoned their commitment to public safety by protecting illegal aliens, including dangerous actors, from arrest and removal by federal authorities, allowing these individuals to again violate the law in our communities.”
The legislation would also bar federal funding from jurisdictions whose government officials alert illegal migrant residents of any forthcoming ICE operations or instruct local law enforcement not to arrest previously deported illegal migrants, according to Roy’s office.
“These tragedies are preventable and unacceptable, and the state and local governments responsible must face consequences for defying federal law and putting law-abiding Americans at risk,” Roy continued.
GOP cosponsors of the bill include Randy Weber and Michael McCaul of Texas, Barry Moore of Alabama, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
Border hawk groups are embracing the legislation and calling for Congress to push it to the finish line.
“Sanctuary policies defy federal law, endanger American lives, and embolden criminal aliens,” RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement, said in a public statement shared with the DCNF. “The Sanctuary Penalty and Public Protection Act calls out these lawless jurisdictions and hits them where it hurts: the checkbook.”
“By creating a national database and cutting off funding, this bill restores accountability and puts public safety first,” Hauman continued. “It’s long past time for cities and counties to choose — either uphold the law or forfeit federal dollars. Huge thank you to Congressman Chip Roy, one of the best in the fight.”
In addition to Hauman’s group, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Immigration Accountability Project and a slate of other border hawk groups have voiced support for the legislation.
Roy’s bill mandates the creation of a public database of every sanctuary jurisdiction in the country — something the Trump administration has already sought.
The Department of Justice earlier in August published a comprehensive list of 13 states, four counties and 18 cities that the administration deemed to be “sanctuary” havens for illegal migrants due to various laws and policies that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The Trump administration sued New York City leaders in July for the city’s sanctuary laws, making it the latest target in a growing list of lawsuits from federal prosecutors. In recent months, the White House has also sued Chicago, Los Angeles and New York State for instituting anti-ICE policies.
The pressure yielded at least some success so far. In response to immigration raids and warnings from the Department of Justice that the city violated federal law, the mayor of Louisville announced in July that city officials would begin complying with ICE’s 48-hour detainer requests.
Roy is hoping to double down on this pressure and force compliance from sanctuary jurisdictions across the country.
“It’s long past time that Congress fully strip these lawless jurisdictions of federal taxpayer dollars and provide a full accounting of their abuses,” Roy stated to the DCNF.
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