Sanctuary Cities are cities which permit residence by illegal immigrants to help them avoid deportation. They do this by not working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials that the city has an illegal immigrant in criminal custody even if they have not been convicted of a crime. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will take away federal funding to communities who are sanctuary cities. He states federal law allows withholding of federal funds to sanctuary cities and will take those measures soon. Mr. Sessions believes that our nation is less safe by putting dangerous criminals back on the street. A number of big cities, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas have refused to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Sanctuary Cities have stated that it is unconstitutional to withhold federal funds. One Justice Department office was expecting to award more than $4.1 billion in grants this fiscal year that they may not award to sanctuary cities. In July 2015, a woman was killed in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who had been deported previously and freed by local authorities. Recently a 14-year-old girl was raped in a school bathroom by two men, at least one of them is an illegal immigrant. This has started the debate about illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. The Trump administration has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to publish a weekly list of all detainer requests turned down by local jails.
Texas has passed a bill in the House that allows cities and law enforcement to enforce federal immigration. This bill will now pass to the Senate. We will keep you updated as this bill continues.
Contact Us
To set up a free initial consultation, contact us online or call us at 844-402-2992. For your convenience, we answer our phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will meet with you evenings or weekends upon request.
