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