Republicans Look to Penalize ‘Sanctuary Cities’ That Shield Illegal Immigrants

New York Times

By Emmarie Huetteman

July 21, 2015

Republicans Look to Penalize ‘Sanctuary Cities’ That Shield Illegal Immigrants

Slamming the Obama administration for failing to penalize cities that shield illegal immigrants, congressional Republicans on Tuesday started to pursue legislation that would withhold federal funds from these so-called sanctuary cities.

The House is expected to vote this week on a bill that would bar the Justice Department from giving grants to cities that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement officials, a measure that Republicans hope can bridge the reopened chasm within the party over immigration as they try to avoid alienating Hispanic voters.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday seized on renewed attention to the issue: Its members rushed to introduce their own proposals to crack down on noncompliant jurisdictions and heard testimony from relatives of victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

Among those testifying was the father of Kathryn Steinle, whose murder this month has been highlighted by Donald J. Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, intensifying the debate. The suspect in her killing is an illegal immigrant with an extensive criminal record who was released by the authorities in San Francisco despite a deportation order pending against him.

Mr. Trump, who began his presidential campaign last month with incendiary remarks about Mexican immigrants, has become a political hot potato for many Republicans, who have faced increasing pressure to respond to his comments as Democrats like Hillary Rodham Clinton have portrayed him as the face of the party. House Democratic leaders on Tuesday called the House bill “the Donald Trump Act.”

While many Republicans have distanced themselves from Mr. Trump, the enthusiasm to introduce legislation to crack down on sanctuary cities pointed out the dichotomy within the party. Senators Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, Jeff Flake of Arizona and David Vitter of Louisiana released proposals on Tuesday afternoon that would withhold federal funding from those that did not comply.

“The bottom line is there’s no consequence now, there’s no teeth now, nothing happens to these jurisdictions,” Mr. Vitter said. Mr. Grassley’s measure also raised the possibility of increasing the mandatory minimum prison sentence to five years from two years for an immigrant who re-enters the country after being deported.

But Senate leaders tempered expectations for swift passage of a bill to punish sanctuary jurisdictions, many of which have questioned the legality of federal immigration law and its effect on immigrants. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, said he was not sure when such a bill would get a vote, while Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said he expected there would be hearings and committee votes on the proposals before one was up for consideration by the full Senate “in due course.”

The House is set to vote by the end of the week on a bill introduced by Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican of California, that would withhold some law enforcement grants from jurisdictions that resist federal immigration law or interfere with enforcement efforts.

“You saw what happened in California,” Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, told reporters, referring to Ms. Steinle’s murder. “We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

The decision on whether to allow amendments to the bill is likely to determine whether it can reach the 218 votes it needs to pass the House, balancing the priorities of those who want to strike a tougher stance on illegal immigration with more moderate perspectives. The House Judiciary Committee passed a measure in March that, in addition to withholding funds, would tighten other regulations, such as mandating detention for illegal immigrants convicted of driving under the influence.

“It’s my understanding the Republican Party is divided on this issue already,” Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, told reporters. “It’s only been on the table for a short period of time.”

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