2017/06/28 – CITIES TO HOUSE LEADERSHIP: OPPOSE ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILLS H.R. 3003 & H.R. 3004
Coalition of 150+ Mayors and County Executives Issues Letter to House Leaders
Cities for Action, a coalition of over 150 mayors and county executives advocating for and implementing policies and programs to promote inclusion of immigrants, issued two letters today to leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives urging opposition to anti-immigrant legislation H.R. 3003, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, and H.R. 3004, Kate’s Law. Both of these bills undercut localities’ public safety efforts, hinder local law enforcement’s ability to keep communities safe, and threaten to separate families. In addition, these bills will further criminalize immigrants under a false premise that they are threats to our communities. Cities for Action strongly opposes these bills due to their negative impact on our foreign-born residents and their total opposition to our policies and values. The coalition urges all Members of Congress to stand with immigrant communities and vote against these bills.
Click here for the letter regarding H.R. 3003.
Click here for the letter regarding H.R. 3004.
Below is the full text of the letters from Cities for Action:
Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House
United States House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives
H-204, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
June 28, 2017
Dear Members of Congress,
Cities for Action (C4A) is a coalition of over 150 mayors and municipal leaders that advocates for policies and programs that promote inclusion of foreign-born residents. Our coalition has a deep commitment to promoting public safety and building trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities. We are writing to you today to urge that you oppose the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, H.R. 3003.
Cities and counties are united in our opposition to Representative Goodlatte’s bill, which would undermine local public safety efforts. Nearly 600 jurisdictions have a variety of policies that would put them at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal funding for local law enforcement, national security, drug treatment, and crime victim initiatives. These policies were adopted due to constitutional concerns and judgements made on the best use of limited resources. Rather than empowering localities to adopt measures designed to enhance the general welfare of their residents, H.R. 3003 would strip localities of the ability to enact common-sense crime prevention policies that ensure victims of crime will seek protection and report crimes.
Among the types of grants that would be at risk are: the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which addresses the growing number of unsubmitted sexual assault kits in law enforcement custody and aims to provide help for victims; the Violent Gang and Gun Crime Reduction Program, which is designed to create safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in gang violence and gun crime; and the Research and Evaluation on Trafficking of Persons, which helps support cities’ efforts to respond to the challenges that human trafficking pose in their jurisdiction.
This bill also raises serious concerns by undermining local laws and criminal prosecutions. It would prevent states or localities from establishing laws or policies that prohibit or “in any way” restrict compliance with or cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. This intrudes into local policies that help foster a relationship of trust between law enforcement officials and immigrants that will, in turn, promote public safety for all our residents.
This also raises serious constitutional concerns. The Tenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution limits the federal government’s ability to mandate particular action by states and localities, including in the area of federal immigration law enforcement and investigations. The federal government cannot force states or localities to enact or administer a federal regulatory program, or compel state or local employees to participate in the administration of a federally enacted regulatory scheme.
In addition, this bill permits DHS to ignore validly issued state or local criminal warrants, which would prevent jurisdictions from completing their prosecution of criminals. The provisions of this bill undercut local law enforcement and will jeopardize public safety efforts.
Local governments have a strong interest in protecting all residents and maintaining public safety. Therefore, we urge you to oppose the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, H.R. 3003, and ensure it never becomes law.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter,
Cities for Action
Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House
United States House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives
H-204, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
June 28, 2017
Dear Members of Congress,
Cities for Action (C4A) is a coalition of over 150 mayors and municipal leaders that advocates for policies to promote the well-being of our foreign born residents. Our coalition, representing over 50 million residents, has a considerable interest in protecting all our residents and ensuring that immigrants are not unjustly criminalized. We are writing to you today to urge that you oppose Representative Goodlatte’s bill, H.R. 3004, Kate’s Law.
Kate’s Law expands already tough penalties for illegal reentry and allows the government to detain immigrants indefinitely without bond or a court hearing. It also mistakenly implies that illegal reentry cases are under-enforced. Indeed, illegal reentry prosecutions already account for 52 percent of all federal prosecutions. H.R. 3004 would make the criminal sentences for reentry extremely harsh. Additionally, it would impose severe sentencing enhancements on people with minor offenses who reenter the country.
H.R. 3004 would also limit the ability to challenge the validity of any prior removal order that forms the basis for a prosecution for illegal reentry, subjecting people to prosecution even in cases where the prior order was issued without due process or was otherwise flawed. In addition, the bill does not provide adequate protections for people who reenter the United States for humanitarian reasons or those who seek protection at the border, putting asylum seekers and families at risk.
Cities and counties are opposed to this bill because these measures do not improve public safety and it is based on a false premise that immigrants pose a threat to our communities. Local governments have a strong interest in protecting all residents and maintaining public safety. Therefore, we urge you to oppose Kate’s Law and stop its passage into law at every possible turn.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter,
Cities for Action