National Journal
By Lauren Fox
July 9, 2015
Conservatives
want to crack down on cities and states that resist working with the
federal government to halt the flow of illegal immigrants, but the
Republican Party
is divided once again on how to navigate the tumultuous politics of
immigration.
Since
an illegal immigrant allegedly shot and killed 32-year-old Kathryn
Steinle at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf earlier this month, federal
lawmakers and presidential
candidates have begun grappling with how best to stop dozens of
"sanctuary cities" that exist in the country.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told an audience in New Hampshire Wednesday that sanctuary cities should simply be eliminated.
"Talking
about things the federal government can do, we shouldn't provide law
enforcement monies for cities like San Francisco until they change their
policies," Bush
said, according to a report from the Associated Press.
"Sanctuary
cities" isn't a legal definition, but one that has been adopted to
refer to state, local, and county governments that don't fully cooperate
with federal officials
when it comes to identifying and deporting immigrants living in the
country illegally. The topic has reemerged since Steinle was allegedly
shot and killed by a man who had been deported five times, but had been
released in San Francisco. Those who defend sanctuary
cities say they are essential to helping immigrants feel comfortable
reporting crime and more fully integrate into a community. Opponents,
mostly Republicans, say sanctuary cities encourage unlawful immigration.
Those
opponents are speaking up on the Hill. In the Senate, freshman Sen. Tom
Cotton of Arkansas has introduced an amendment to an education-reform
bill that would withhold
law-enforcement and immigration funding to local governments that don't
cooperate fully with federal immigration agents. Sen. David Vitter of
Louisiana also introduced an amendment to defund sanctuary cities. A
similar bill has been introduced in the House
of Representatives.
Cotton
says he is unsure if his amendment will get a vote this time around,
but "I have received very good feedback that they want to address this
problem. I will continue
to push for Senate floor time."
Some
Republicans, on the other hand—even those who are deeply troubled by
the existence of sanctuary cities—believe that cutting off federal
funding may be too harsh a
punishment.
"That is a pretty blunt instrument. There are other ways to deal with it," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas.
Eradicating
sanctuary cities pits two core Republican priorities against one
another: enforcing immigration policies versus making sure that the
federal government doesn't
get overly involved in local and state affairs.
"It
is anarchy if you have cities deciding which laws passed by the
Congress of the United States and signed by the president that they are
going to obey or disobey,"
said Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
But Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said that he doesn't believe it's right for the federal government to dictate local laws.
"I
always have the attitude that people in the local areas can decide for
themselves what kind of governance they want," Hatch said. "I think that
it is ridiculous to
do what San Francisco has done, but I still think they ought to have
the right to do what they want to."
Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said that he doesn't understand how anyone in his party could be against Cotton's amendment.
"I
think that is a perfectly modest action," he said. "I'm shocked by
anybody who would say that this wouldn't be a normal or appropriate
response."
Sen.
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, however, says those in his party
fighting for the amendment should look harder at a comprehensive
approach rather than tangling
themselves up in individual amendment squabbles.
"This
is a symptom of a broken immigration system," said Graham, a
presidential contender. "To all those who voted against comprehensive
immigration reform all these years,
please understand that the longer we take to fix this, the more
problems like this that will exist."
But
while Republicans are deeply divided on how to best handle the issue,
Democrats are working on their own separate approach. Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, the former mayor
of San Francisco, says you have to draw the line somewhere. The
California senator was mayor in 1985 when sanctuary laws were first put
in place in the city. She says at the time, the idea was to protect
clergy fleeing persecution from El Salvador and Guatemala.
"It
has changed dramatically since then," Feinstein said. "Cities are going
to have to take a look at what the present situation is. If you are
going to use this for felonies,
it is a real problem."
Feinstein
plans to introduce a bill with her fellow Californian Sen. Barbara
Boxer that would bar cities from not cooperating with federal officials
when it comes to deporting
immigrants with felony criminal records.
"Sanctuary cannot be used for a felony," Feinstein said.
Cotton says he is not opposed to working across the aisle on the issue.
"I
am going to work with senators in both parties actually to address
this," Cotton said. "I am open to other mechanisms, but [funding] is one
of the most immediate ways
that came to my mind to stop this problem."
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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