Daines Condemns Senate Democrats Over Sanctuary Cities Legislation

Senator Steve Daines today expressed his disappointment after Senate Democrats failed to allow consideration of legislation that would withhold certain federal funding from cities who deliberately protect illegal immigrants by refusing to cooperate with immigration services:

“It is infuriating that Senate Democrats blocked thoughtful and meaningful debate on legislation that goes after real criminals who are not only in the United States illegally, but continuously violate the laws of our nation or repeatedly reenter the country after being deported. Allowing a city to ignore federal immigration statutes while providing a safe haven for criminals who violate our nation’s laws is an egregious degradation of the rule of law. It is disappointing that bipartisan cooperation could not be reached on critical legislation that would help protect the safety and security of innocent Americans.”

A sanctuary jurisdiction is a state or locality that forbids its local law enforcement from:
Sharing information with federal immigration officials,
Complying with an immigration detainer.

The Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act cuts off certain federal funding and forces these once-sanctuary cities to comply with immigration services, while increasing the penalty for illegal immigrants re-entering the country.