Thread: Senate rejects 'sanctuary cities' defunding bill

Senate rejects 'sanctuary cities' defunding bill

By SEUNG MIN KIM
07/06/16 04:04 PM EDT

The Senate quickly put an end to an election-year fight on Wednesday when Democrats blocked legislation targeting sanctuary cities — a controversial immigration policy that Republican Sen. Pat Toomey has seized on in his competitive reelection bid in Pennsylvania.

In a replay of a similar vote last fall, most Senate Democrats united against a measure that would strip funding from sanctuary cities, which are cities and counties where local police and jails decline cooperation with the feds on immigration enforcement. The issue grabbed national headlines last year when 32-year-old Kate Steinle was shot and killed on a San Francisco pier by a Mexican immigrant who was in the country illegally after having been deported multiple times.

San Francisco has a policy of not abiding by requests from federal immigration officials to inform them when local officials have an immigrant in custody who has been targeted for deportation.

The vote Wednesday was 53-44. The Senate also voted on legislation from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that would toughen mandatory minimums for immigrants who repeatedly try to enter the United States illegally, but that was also blocked, on a 55-42 vote. Both measures needed 60 votes to advance.

“Americans from both parties know it would be incredibly dishonest to pretend this bill is aimed at law-abiding immigrants who enrich our country,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday morning.

“Americans from both parties also understand that extreme sanctuary city policies can inflict incredible pain on innocent victims and their families.”

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had hinted earlier Wednesday that Democrats could advance the legislation solely to secure votes on measures they favor, such as funding for the Zika virus, gun control and comprehensive immigration reform. But separate from procedural tactics, Reid made clear he and most other Senate Democrats detested the legislation written by Toomey and Cruz.

“Republicans want red meat going into their convention,” Reid said. “Americans deserve a real solution to our broken immigration system, not dog-whistle politics.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/0...#ixzz4Df6CDuCN

I think the American people "detest" Reid and Pelosi. Time for you to go retire...preferably South of the Border.

Cruz's 'Kate's Law,' named for S.F. woman killed by illegal alien, stalls in senate

No laws allowed that actually may help deter or stop illegal immigration. But most of Congress would practically fall all over themselves with laws to allow more illegal immigration. So upside down it all is.

There are far too many members in Congress that have this issue backwards.

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Senate Democrats launched filibusters Wednesday to protect sanctuary cities and to shield repeat illegal immigrants from mandatory minimum five-year prison sentences, saying Republican lawmakers were following the lead of Donald Trump in attacking immigrants.

The votes were taken slightly more than a year after the slaying of Kate Steinle, whose death at the hands of an illegal immigrant shielded by San Francisco’s sanctuary policy ignited a fierce debate over localities’ laws that limit or ban police from turning over immigrants to federal deportation officers.

Steinle’s death on July 1, 2015, drew attention to victims of illegal immigrant crime — a part of the debate that is often overlooked.

But Democrats said the Republicans’ solutions — stricter penalties on repeat illegal immigrants and punishing cities and counties for shielding illegal immigrants — were wrong.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said incarcerating illegal immigrants who repeatedly sneak into the U.S. after deportations would end up overcrowding prisons and cost Americans billions of dollars.

“Republicans are legislating Donald Trump’s vision that immigrants and Latinos are criminals and threats to the public,” Mr. Reid said.

He led Democrats in blocking the sanctuary bill, which fell seven votes shy of the 60 needed to override his filibuster, and the mandatory minimum bills, which fell five votes shy.

The man who killed Steinle had been repeatedly deported but sneaked back into the U.S. each time. He served a term in federal prison and was released to San Francisco, which asked to prosecute him on a years-old drug warrant.

Local prosecutors ultimately decided to drop the case rather than return the man to federal agents who wanted to deport him. The sheriff’s department, following the county’s sanctuary policy, released him.
“This is madness,” said Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, the Pennsylvania Republican who proposed the crackdown on sanctuary cities, including Philadelphia in his home state.

Mr. Toomey’s bill would have denied some federal criminal justice grant money to localities that refused to cooperate with immigration agents. Republicans said it made no sense to have taxpayers spend money on communities that refuse to work with the federal government.

The vote on his bill fell mostly along party lines, with two Democrats — Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Joe Donnelly of Indiana — voting for the crackdown. A single Republican, Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, voted against the crackdown. Chicago helped pioneer the sanctuary city concept.

The legislation imposing a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years on repeat illegal immigrants was more popular. Mr. Kirk voted with the other Republicans in favor of it, as did Mr. Manchin, Mr. Donnelly and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota Democrat.

“Americans are tired of politicians standing with violent criminal illegal aliens,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who sponsored the measure, which he named “Kate’s Law,” after Steinle.

Immigrant rights activists warned Democrats against cooperating with Republicans on the bills. The activists said the immigration system is so broken that nobody should be deported until Congress passes broad legalization of most illegal immigrants in the U.S.

The activists have rallied to defend sanctuary cities, arguing that local police break trust with minority communities when they report illegal immigrants to federal officials.

The Obama administration, meanwhile, has been internally divided on the issue. The chief of the deportation agency at one point welcomed a crackdown on sanctuary cities, saying that it was a public safety risk to release dangerous illegal immigrants.

But the White House quickly squashed that sentiment and insisted the problem was broken federal laws, not a patchwork of local policies.

U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement says thousands of dangerous criminals it wanted to deport have instead been released onto the streets thanks to sanctuary policies.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ctuary-cities/

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 114^th Congress - 2^nd Sessionas compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary

Question: On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to S. 3100 )
Vote Number:	119	Vote Date:	July 6, 2016, 03:17 PM
Required For Majority:	3/5	Vote Result:	Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected
Measure Number:	S. 3100 (Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act )
Measure Title:	A bill to ensure that State and local law enforcement may cooperate with Federal officials to protect our communities from violent criminals and suspected terrorists who are illegally present in the United States.

Vote Counts:	YEAs	53
	NAYs	44
	Not Voting	3

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Alexander (R-TN), Yea Ayotte (R-NH), Yea Baldwin (D-WI), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Bennet (D-CO), Nay Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay Blunt (R-MO), Yea Booker (D-NJ), Nay Boozman (R-AR), Yea Boxer (D-CA), Nay Brown (D-OH), Not Voting Burr (R-NC), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Capito (R-WV), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Casey (D-PA), Nay Cassidy (R-LA), Yea Coats (R-IN), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Coons (D-DE), Nay Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Cotton (R-AR), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea Cruz (R-TX), Yea Daines (R-MT), Yea Donnelly (D-IN), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Yea Ernst (R-IA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Fischer (R-NE), Yea

Flake (R-AZ), Yea Franken (D-MN), Nay Gardner (R-CO), Yea Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Graham (R-SC), Not Voting Grassley (R-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Yea Heinrich (D-NM), Nay Heitkamp (D-ND), Nay Heller (R-NV), Yea Hirono (D-HI), Nay Hoeven (R-ND), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johnson (R-WI), Yea Kaine (D-VA), Nay King (I-ME), Nay Kirk (R-IL), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Lankford (R-OK), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Nay Lee (R-UT), Not Voting Manchin (D-WV), Yea Markey (D-MA), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Nay Merkley (D-OR), Nay Mikulski (D-MD), Nay Moran (R-KS), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murphy (D-CT), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay

Nelson (D-FL), Nay Paul (R-KY), Yea Perdue (R-GA), Yea Peters (D-MI), Nay Portman (R-OH), Yea Reed (D-RI), Nay Reid (D-NV), Nay Risch (R-ID), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rounds (R-SD), Yea Rubio (R-FL), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Nay Sasse (R-NE), Yea Schatz (D-HI), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay Scott (R-SC), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Sullivan (R-AK), Yea Tester (D-MT), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea Tillis (R-NC), Yea Toomey (R-PA), Yea Udall (D-NM), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Yea Warner (D-VA), Nay Warren (D-MA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay Wicker (R-MS), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Nay

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---53
Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Capito (R-WV) Cassidy (R-LA) Coats (R-IN) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Cotton (R-AR) Crapo (R-ID) Cruz (R-TX) Daines (R-MT) Donnelly (D-IN)	Enzi (R-WY) Ernst (R-IA) Fischer (R-NE) Flake (R-AZ) Gardner (R-CO) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johnson (R-WI) Lankford (R-OK) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK)	Paul (R-KY) Perdue (R-GA) Portman (R-OH) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rounds (R-SD) Rubio (R-FL) Sasse (R-NE) Scott (R-SC) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Sullivan (R-AK) Thune (R-SD) Tillis (R-NC) Toomey (R-PA) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS)

NAYs ---44
Baldwin (D-WI) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Booker (D-NJ) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Coons (D-DE) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Heinrich (D-NM)	Heitkamp (D-ND) Hirono (D-HI) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Kirk (R-IL) Klobuchar (D-MN) Leahy (D-VT) Markey (D-MA) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL)	Peters (D-MI) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 3
Brown (D-OH)	Graham (R-SC)	Lee (R-UT)

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=2&vote =00119

7/7/16

Justice Department Cuts Off Federal Law Enforcement Grants To Sanctuary Cities