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Tancredo bill rejected
Measure would have withheld funds over immigration issues

By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News
May 18, 2005

WASHINGTON - For the third time, the House has rejected a bid by Rep. Tom Tancredo to withhold homeland security funds from state and local governments that do not share information with federal immigration officials.

The amendment to a Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill failed Tuesday by a 258-165 vote.

In a brief floor speech, Tancredo alluded to the May 8 slaying of Denver police Detective Donald Young and an ongoing manhunt for suspect Raul Garcia-Gomez, an immigrant from Mexico.

Tancredo, R-Colo., is a vocal advocate of tougher immigration laws. He has repeatedly criticized Denver officials for not contacting immigration officials in the months leading up to the killing, when Garcia-Gomez was stopped for separate traffic violations.

He accused cities across the country of having a "don't ask, don't tell" policy when dealing with illegal immigrants.

"They stop and arrest criminal aliens time and again only to release them without having checked their immigration status," Tancredo said.

"These so-called 'sanctuary' policies are not only misguided and dangerous, they are also illegal," Tancredo said.

Denver officials have denied Tancredo's charge, saying city police do not operate under any "sanctuary" policy. They have said police do not have time to investigate the immigration status of every person stopped for a traffic violation, and believe enforcement is up to federal immigration officials.

Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn., called Tancredo's proposed legislation misguided, saying it would be hard to determine whether a city's policies amounted to "sanctuary."

He said the bill would have an unpredictable effect on federal funds going to thousands of state and local governments.

"We have real problems related to immigration," Sabo said. "To start harassing every unit of government, large or small, depending on what information they send to the federal government, I think is just a serious mistake."

Tancredo has proposed the same amendment each of the past three years, getting 102 votes in 2003, 148 in 2004 and 165 on Tuesday.

Colorado's congressional delegation split along party lines, with Republican Reps. Bob Beauprez, Joel Hefley, Marilyn Musgrave and Tancredo in favor, and Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette, John Salazar and Mark Udall opposed.