Justice Department Cuts Police Funding to Sanctuary Cities After Senate Dems Killed Bill
In what can best be described as shocking, the Obama Justice Department has announced that it will cut funds to sanctuary cities. The move came just hours after democrats in the senate killed a bill to do just that. Section 1373 of the United States Code forbids cities from undermining federal law as it written towards illegal aliens. That is precisely what sanctuary cities do. That means that the 300 or so sanctuary cities and states are no longer eligible to receive Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) and the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) grants.
Section 1373
(a)In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal, State, or local law, a Federal, State, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.
(b)Additional authority of government entitiesNotwithstanding any other provision of Federal, State, or local law, no person or agency may prohibit, or in any way restrict, a Federal, State, or local government entity from doing any of the following with respect to information regarding the immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual:
(c)Obligation to respond to inquiries
The Immigration and Naturalization Service shall respond to an inquiry by a Federal, State, or local government agency, seeking to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration status of any individual within the jurisdiction of the agency for any purpose authorized by law, by providing the requested verification or status information.
States are not allowed to use federal funds to replace those lost by sanctuary cities:
The funding became a major issue after San Francisco released an illegal alien for which ICE had a detainer for and he murdered Katie Steinle on a pier just weeks later.
Texas Rep. John Culberson, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies commented on the move by the Justice Department:
“State and local governments must now choose between receiving federal law enforcement grant money or protecting dangerous criminal illegal aliens. They can no longer do both.”
“Sanctuary cities are a hub for illegal aliens and criminal activity, and we’ve seen the tragic results of these policies time and time again.”
“It has been more than a year since Kate Steinle was murdered at the hands of a criminal illegal alien who intentionally sought out shelter in San Francisco due to the city’s sanctuary policies. This violence and suffering is intolerable and completely preventable.”
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