Thread: CA. Rep. Hunter takes aim at ‘sanctuary’ cities

Rep. Hunter takes aim at ‘sanctuary’ cities

Proposal to cut funds wouldn't affect San Diego, small impact in San Francisco

By Joshua Stewart | 5:42 p.m. July 8, 2015

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter

Rep. Duncan Hunter plans to re-introduce legislation that would cut some funding to states, counties and cities that don’t follow parts of federal immigration policies.

The Alpine Republican’s proposal comes after San Francisco, a city that has a long-standing policy of not cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts, released an unauthorized immigrant from jail who is now accused of fatally shooting a woman.

Hunter’s bill targets so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions like San Francisco that have policies that prohibit law enforcement from gathering information about a person’s immigration status, or stops officials from exchanging details about immigration status with federal immigration officials. If a state or local government has these types of policies in place, they would lose State Criminal Alien Assistance Program funds.
Last year California counties received $41.6 million in SCAAP funds, including $551,665 that went to San Diego. SCAAP funds reimburse state and local governments for some of the cost of detaining some undocumented immigrants in jail. San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said the proposed legislation would have no impact on his department.

Unless San Francisco changes some of its policies, that county and city could lose SCAAP funds under Hunter’s legislation. Last year San Francisco received $167,055 in such funds. That would have limited impact on municipal finances in San Francisco, which has a $7.9 billion budget this fiscal year.

Hunter’s bill comes days after Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez was arrested and charged in the shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle on San Francisco’s Pier 14. Sanchez, who had been deported to Mexico five times, was incarcerated in a federal prison when he was released to San Francisco authorities to face drug charges that were eventually dropped. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said they asked San Francisco to detain Lopez-Sanchez, but ultimately he was released. ICE believes the slaying could have been prevented.

“States and cities that refuse to enforce federal immigration laws directly undermine enforcement efforts and — as recent events have shown — present a real danger to citizens,” Hunter said in a statement.

Later he added, “One way we show we’re serious is by hitting localities where it hurts — and that’s the purse. And one program that most certainly should cease reimbursement is SCAAP, which is intended to mitigate the costs of incarceration, and extends to salaries and overtime.”

Hunter said he hopes to find other funds to tie to local immigration enforcement efforts.

Gore said there is no chance that San Diego County would lose money if Hunter’s bill becomes law. Immigration officials have worked in county booking facilities for over a decade and federal and local officials work and communicate well together.

Gore said a ruling out of a U.S. District Court in Oregon last year says that deputies can no longer honor federal requests to hold unauthorized immigrant inmates in county jails and his department complies with the legal decision, as well as a state law that sets conditions on when unauthorized immigrants can be held.

However, the close relationship with ICE prevents unauthorized immigrants in a county jail from being released back into the general population, Gore said.

“If ICE wants to take custody of one of our inmates, they tell us and we notify them of the date and time of their release. And they take custody of them at our facility,” Gore said.

Hunter’s legislation does not address local detention of people wanted by ICE.

Hunter introduced a similar bill in July in 2010 when Democrats controlled the House and March of 2011 when Republicans were in charge. Both measures died in committee.

joshua.stewart@utsandiego.com • (619) 293 — 1841 • Twitter: jptstewart

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...ctuary-cities/

http://www.alipac.us/f12/texas-sanct...illing-321074/