House bill would crack down on sanctuary cities

[Soldier4Christ]

House bill would crack down on sanctuary cities

A group of Republican House members have introduced a bill that would crack down on cities that provide illegal aliens with a safe harbor from penalty or arrest.



The bill is called the Accountability in Enforcing Immigration Laws Act of 2007, and it is being pushed by members of the House Immigration Reform Caucus. The bill will clarify that state law enforcement has the existing authority to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, and or transfer to federal authorities any illegal alien apprehended in the course of routine duties. It would also make illegal immigration a felony.

Kurt Bardella is a spokesman for the caucus and he says that it does not make sense to handcuff law enforcement and their ability to check on the residential status of an individual.

"For all we know that could be a person who is on a terrorist watch list. But by having a sanctuary city policy that prohibits them from at least taking that initial step to at least confirm identity, I think that’s handcuffing law enforcement and is completely unnecessary. And it really hinders law enforcement’s ability to do their job,” says Bardella.

The bill would permit the government to withhold 25 percent of non-emergency Homeland Security funding for sanctuary cities and would authorize $1 billion for a federal program that provides money for states and localities for jailing criminal aliens.

Bardella says the American people support stronger enforcement of federal immigration laws, but with the Democrats in control of Congress, the measure faces an uphill battle for passage.

[Brother Jerry]

What is utterly sad is that the fed gment even has to consider a bill such as this.