Thread: SENATE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO TARGET SANCTUARY CITIES

by CAROLINE MAY
7 Oct 2015

Senate Republicans are moving to bring legislation targeting sanctuary cities to the floor for a vote.

The legislation, introduced by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), would restrict federal funds and grants to jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, providing a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. The bill would also establish a mandatory sentence of five years for illegal immigrants convicted of re-entering the U.S. after being convicted of an aggravated felony or of illegally re-entering the U.S. twice.

“Three months ago, Kate Steinle was murdered in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who should have never been walking the streets in the first place,” Vitter said Wednesday in reference to the crime that has sparked a national outcry over sanctuary cities.

“In the time since Ms. Steinle’s death, we have seen similar murders and other terrible acts of violence against law abiding citizens across the United States – it is outrageous that the policies allowing these crimes to happen have not changed. We need to send a loud and clear message to any sanctuary cities that their dangerous policies are not acceptable,” he added.

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)is using the procedural fast-track process to bypass the Judiciary Committee and bring the bill to the floor for a vote, according to The Hill.

The legislation is cosponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) as well as Sens. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

A bill targeting sanctuary cities, as reported by Politico, had been held up in committee due to Republican objections over mandatory sentencing minimums. Judiciary Committee members Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)’s (R-AZ) opposition to imposing a five year mandatory minimum sentence on illegal re-entry offenders made passage of the legislation through the committee process unlikely.

Instead, Vitter’s legislation will receive a vote on the floor early as this month.

The House passed legislation restricting federal funding to sanctuary cities earlier this year.

The murder of Kathryn Steinle in July spurred the effort to legislate against sanctuary cities. A multiple deportee illegal immigrant with a long rap sheet allegedly shot Steinle months after he was released from custody due to San Francisco’s sanctuary policy of ignoring immigration detainers.

“This is a fair and appropriate approach for Congress to take in response to the thousands of federal immigration detainers being ignored and the need to keep illegal immigrants who have previously committed felonies off the streets,” Grassley said Wednesday.

“We’ve seen far too many people hurt because of sanctuary policies – whether aided by the Obama administration or the fact that our state and local governments are afraid of getting sued. The families of these victims deserve better of their government,” he added.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...ctuary-cities/

If Cornyn is co-sponsoring this bill, that for me makes this suspect? Cornyn has a Numbers grade of an F. What do you know about this bill?

by Caroline May
8 Oct 2015

The Senate will consider legislation targeting funding for sanctuary cities when it reconvenes the week after next, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced Thursday.

The Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act, introduced by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), will skip the committee process and go directly to the Senate floor. The bill restricts federal funding for sanctuary cities, or jurisdictions that do not comply with federal immigration authorities. It also provides legal protections for localities that do comply with federal immigration law and ups the penalties for illegal re-entry.

Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon, McConnell encouraged senators heading home next week for the district work period to think about the backward treatment of jurisdictions that cooperate federal immigration authorities and those that do not.

“In a time of limited federal resources and tough choices, is it fair to treat localities that cooperate with law enforcement or work hard to follow federal law no better than localities that refuse to help or actively flout the law?” McConnell asked, rhetorically.

McConnell argued that not only it is unfair to the cities that comply with the laws but it is also unfair to the local law enforcement officials who put themselves in harms way and the victims of illegal immigrant crime.

“[It isn’t fair] to citizens and governments that do the right thing. Not to law-enforcement officers who risk everything for our safety. Not to victims and their families,” McConnell said. “The proponents of so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ seem to callously disregard how their policies can hurt other people. That’s really not right. The bill I just filed cloture on this afternoon aims to ensure more fairness on this issue.”

The legislation to be considered is cosponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) as well as Sens. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

Earlier Thursday, the Center for Immigration Studies released a report revealing that as of December there are 340 sanctuary jurisdictions. Each month these areas with sanctuary policies have been releasing about 1,000 criminal immigrants wanted for deportation by federal immigration. Many of the released criminal aliens, the report noted, have gone on to commit additional crimes.

The July murder of Kathryn Steinle, allegedly by a five-time deported illegal immigrant with a lengthy rap sheet, brought national attention to sanctuary cities. Local authorities in the sanctuary city of San Francisco had released the shooter, ignoring an immigration detainer on the man, about three months before he killed Steinle.

The House has already passed legislation targeting sanctuary cities. Now that McConnell has filled cloture on Vitter’s bill the Senate will consider it when it reconvenes.


http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...ctuary-cities/

Those politicos already know that the House
holds the power of the purse.
The House is a mess right now.
Looks like a serious case of political posturing...

McConnell argued that not only it is unfair to the cities that comply with the laws but it is also unfair to the local law enforcement officials who put themselves in harms way and the victims of illegal immigrant crime.

Has McConnell had a wake up call?

10/20/15

Senate Dems block anti-sanctuary city bill

Senate Dems block anti-sanctuary city bill

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican-backed bill that would crack down on so-called sanctuary cities by threatening to withhold funds to local governments that don't cooperate with federal immigration officials.

The bill failed on a 54-45 vote. It needed 60 to advance.

The Stop Sanctuary Cities Act became a lightning rod issue ahead of the vote, as GOP sponsors tried to peel off just a few Democrats to support it while Democratic leaders blasted the legislation as counterproductive.

The White House issued a formal veto threat Tuesday morning, while the chamber's top Democrat tried to discredit the measure by calling it "The Donald Trump Act."

But GOP backers cast the legislation as a critical first step toward reining in the exploding, and risky, practice of cities and counties ignoring federal immigration law.

"Sanctuary cities and the associated violent crimes by illegal immigrants are reaching a critical point, and we cannot wait any longer to take action to protect Americans here at home," sponsor Sen.

David Vitter, R-La., said in a statement.

The bill was considered months after a young woman's murder in San Francisco allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant touched off a national debate over immigration law.

Vitter had urged colleagues to "remember Kate Steinle's vicious murder and the tens of thousands of crimes committed by illegal immigrants within our borders."

Steinle, 32, was killed July 1 while walking with her dad along a San Francisco pier. The suspect, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, had a felony record and had been deported five times -- but despite a

federal immigration detainer request, the city sheriff released him once an old marijuana charge was dropped. San Francisco is among hundreds of so-called sanctuary cities that do not cooperate

fully with federal immigration officials The White House, though, claimed in a written statement that the bill "fails to offer comprehensive reforms needed to fix the Nation's broken immigration

laws and undermines current Administration efforts to remove the most dangerous convicted criminals and to work collaboratively with State and local law enforcement agencies."

According to the White House, it would "essentially turn State and local law enforcement into Federal immigration law enforcement officials, in certain circumstances."

Only two Democrats voted Tuesday to advance the bill, Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk was the only Republican to vote "no."

The legislation would have made it illegal for local governments to ignore immigration-related detainers -- federal requests to notify them before releasing an illegal immigrant so they can

take custody -- and to bar local officials from sharing immigration information with federal agents.

The bill called for withholding certain federal funding to any local governments that flout the policy.

The issue, though, became a political football not only on the presidential campaign trail but on Capitol Hill.

In advance of the vote, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said on the floor:

"This vile legislation might as well be called 'The Donald Trump Act.' Like the disgusting and outrageous language championed by Donald Trump, this legislation paints all immigrants as

'criminals and rapists.'"

As Congress stalled on the sanctuary city matter, some state governments already are taking action. North Carolina lawmakers recently voted to make their state the first prohibiting such

policies at the local government level.

Senate Dems block anti-sanctuary city bill | Fox News

"This vile legislation might as well be called 'The Donald Trump Act.' Like the disgusting and outrageous language championed by Donald Trump, this legislation paints all immigrants as criminals and rapists.'"

And murderers.