They say timing is everything in politics, so it doesn’t surprise me that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) just dropped this bill.
He and House Republicans are preparing to advance legislation that would impose sweeping restrictions on sanctuary cities, including a provision allowing victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants to sue local governments and officials responsible for releasing them from custody.
The Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act, introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), would require greater cooperation between state and local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities while threatening to withhold federal funding from jurisdictions that refuse to comply.
The House Judiciary Committee approved the legislation in March by a 22-11 vote, clearing the way for consideration by the full House. Jordan (R-OH) said Republican leaders are targeting a vote during the lame-duck congressional session following the November midterm elections.
In an interview with Just the News, Jordan highlighted a provision that would allow victims and their families to pursue civil lawsuits against jurisdictions that release certain illegal immigrants who subsequently commit serious crimes.
“It allows people who’ve been harmed, where local political leaders tell the local law enforcement they can’t work with federal law enforcement, detainers aren’t honored … to go take that city, take that state to court, and say, ‘look, this was ridiculous. What happened and was so wrong, so tragic,’” Jordan explained.
The proposal would establish a private right of action for victims of murder, rape and other qualifying felonies under specified circumstances. Surviving spouses, parents and children could also pursue claims when a victim dies. The provision is intended to address legal barriers that can prevent victims from holding government agencies accountable for decisions involving immigration detainers.
Jordan said lawmakers spent considerable time developing the measure and expressed confidence that Republicans could move it forward before the current Congress concludes. “So we got a good deal that we worked long and hard on. We just got to try to get it passed in the lame duck [period],” he said.
Beyond the lawsuit provision, the legislation would significantly expand federal authority over immigration enforcement practices in states and municipalities. Under the proposal, local governments would be prohibited from adopting policies that prevent law enforcement officers from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The measure would also require compliance with qualifying federal immigration detainers, which request that local authorities temporarily hold individuals suspected of being subject to deportation until federal agents can assume custody.
Jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate could lose access to certain federal law enforcement grants, including funding distributed through Justice Department programs. Those funds could instead be redirected to jurisdictions that comply with federal immigration requirements.
The bill would also provide legal protections for officers and agencies that honor federal detainers, limiting their exposure to certain civil lawsuits.
Republicans argue that sanctuary policies create public safety risks by allowing individuals wanted by federal immigration authorities to return to communities after being released from local custody.
Supporters have pointed to several high-profile crimes involving illegal immigrants who previously encountered law enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security recently highlighted the case of Rohit Rohit, an Indian national accused of stalking and killing 38-year-old Shalini Thakur in Sacramento, California.
Federal officials said the suspect was living in the United States illegally and had previously been released from custody. DHS cited the case while urging local officials to reconsider policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Naturally, Democrats are opposed to this common sense reform because they aid and abet illegal immigrtion on a daily basis. We all remember Joe Biden’s 4-year open borders policies whereby federal immigration officers were hamstrung and tens of millions of illegals poured into the country, soaking up federal, state, and local resources and endangering American citizens.
And, of course, Democrats are behind sanctuary policies. This bill couldn’t have come at a better time; let Republicans run on supporting it and force Democrats to defend illegal aliens again.
