Immigration Bill Cracks Down On “Sanctuary” Cities; Barletta Forms New Anti-Immigration Caucus
A freshman U.S. congressman, who in 2006 made headlines when he signed a law that cracked down on undocumented immigrants as the mayor of a Pennsylvania town, is now focusing his first legislative effort on stripping all federal funding to “sanctuary” cities that fail to enforce federal immigration laws.
Republican Rep. Lou Barletta said he expects to formally introduce the bill within a few weeks. The bill will attempt to “crack down on cities whose elected officials have willfully chosen not to enforce immigration policy by withholding all federal funding from them as long as their sanctuary policies are in place,” he said, during a press conference.
The legislation, called the “Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act,” would target more than 100 cities, where Barletta believes federal immigration policy is not being enforced. If the legislation is adopted cities could face losing all federal funding.
“Local officials who choose not to enforce immigration laws are aiding illegal immigrants,” Barletta said. “My bill makes sure that sanctuary cities no longer get federal money as long as federal officials ignore federal law.”
