Thread: Senators float bipartisan fix to sanctuary cities; liability protection could smooth

Senators float bipartisan fix to sanctuary cities; liability protection could smooth cooperation

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Senators said Tuesday they may have a bipartisan way of allowing local police to cooperate with federal immigration agents, saying Congress could pass a law granting the localities protection from liability lawsuits brought by illegal immigrants who claim they were detained too long.

Sen. Ron Johnson said it could be a “pretty simple fix” to much of the sanctuary city fight that’s raging across the country.
“Let’s pass a law to give those local law enforcement officials liability protection,” the Wisconsin Republican and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee said. “That could clear up this whole difference.”

Sanctuary cities vary in their degree of refusal to cooperate with federal deportation efforts. Some communities are eager to defy the federal government, while others are reluctant, saying they would cooperate but either local courts or their local government lawyers have said they incur liability by detaining immigrants for federal agents.

Mr. Johnson’s liability protection wouldn’t solve the situation of the more committed sanctuaries, but could help those communities that want to cooperate but can’t because of local legal advice.

He floated his idea at a hearing Tuesday with Homeland Security Committee John F. Kelly, who’d just had a stern exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat who was defending sanctuary cities against federal threats of losing money.

Put on the spot by Mr. Johnson, Ms. Harris said she would be open to the civil liability protection bill.

“I would support any fix that would not pull funding for local law enforcement to meet the demands that they face around combating terrorism,” Ms. Harris, a former California attorney general, said.

“Great. So this could be a bipartisan solution,” Mr. Johnson said, moving to lock in Ms. Harris’s cooperation.

The issue of liability is popping up across the country.

Henrico County in Virginia recently settled a lawsuit brought by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who sued after the local jail held him for federal agents, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The immigrant had served his time for drunken driving but the jail held him longer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to pick him up.

The Virginia Sheriff’s Association told the newspaper it had been watching the case to see what effect it would have on local authorities’ ability to cooperate with ICE.

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

These cities that offer sanctuary to illegal aliens should be offered zero immunity from lawsuits especially lawsuits by the families of victims of the illegal aliens they facilitate and protect.

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

These cities that offer sanctuary to illegal aliens should be offered zero immunity from lawsuits especially lawsuits by the families of victims of the illegal aliens they facilitate and protect.

W

And the mayors of these sanctuary cities should also be held liable for crimes committed to citizens by these illegals.

Come On! Just pass the damn bill that authorizes them to enforce US immigration law. That covers everything. A simple 2 sentence law that says "States have the authority to enforce US immigration law in accordance with all applicable laws." Simple.

by PAM KEY
6 Jun 2017
1,096 comments

Tuesday at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly got into a heated exchange over funding for sanctuary cities.

Partial transcript as follows:

HARRIS: So are you aware that there are local law enforcement —

KELLY: Can I finish once before you interrupt me?

HARRIS: Sir, with all due respect —

KELLY: With all due respect, senator.

HARRIS: Are you instructing local law enforcement leaders that they can overlook a DHS detainer request so they’re not exposed to criminal liability?

KELLY: We talk to them about whatever they’re comfortable with, whatever they think they can do within the interpretation of their local attorney generals, as an example or local lawyers.

HARRIS: So when they are —

KELLY: Can I finish once?

HARRIS: Excuse me, I am asking the questions.

KELLY: But I am trying to answer the questions.

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/...ctuary-cities/

Secretary Kelly should have flat out told Harris that any city that did not honor a DHS retainer request would be classified as a sanctuary city and would have their federal funding pulled! To me it soundled like he, Secretary Kelly, was implying that he would give local governments a free pass if their lawyers advised against honoring retainer requests.