Barletta: Stop funding ‘sanctuary cities’
July 17, 2015
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta on Wednesday called on Congress to finally act on defunding so-called “sanctuary cities,” localities that resist or ban enforcement of federal immigration laws, or flatly refuse to cooperate with immigration officials.
Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, led a panel discussion on the topic hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies at the National Press Club. He highlighted his legislation, the Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act, which will stop all federal funds from flowing to such jurisdictions.
The legislation, which he also introduced in 2011, follows the July 1 murder in San Francisco of 32-year-old Kate Steinle, whose accused killer is a seven-time felon who had been deported five times previously.
Barletta spoke of his personal experience with a similar crime. He was mayor of Hazleton when a local man, Derek Kichline, was murdered in 2006 by an illegal immigrant who had also been released in New York, another sanctuary city.
“When I first learned of Kate Steinle’s death, the first thing I thought of was Derek Kichline,” Barletta said. “It’s time that someone spoke for the victims of these crimes, and their families, instead of the ones who are pulling the triggers.”
According to a new report released by CIS, sanctuary policies in at least 276 state and local jurisdictions caused the release of more than 8,000 criminal illegal immigrant offenders between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2014, a release from Barletta’s office states.
Sixty-three percent of those released already had criminal histories, while nearly 1,900 of them were subsequently arrested again a total of 4,300 times for new criminal offenses.
“And yet there are mayors around the country who believe they are kings and will pick and choose what laws they will enforce,” Barletta said. “They are creating safe havens for illegal aliens to take the lives of others like Kate Steinle.”
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