House Republicans are pushing ahead with sweeping legislation to obliterate sanctuary cities, setting up a post-election vote that would empower victims of illegal immigrants’ crimes to sue the local officials who released them from custody.The Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act passed through the House Judiciary Committee with little fanfare last month, creating a path for GOP lawmakers to impose the toughest crackdown yet on states and cities that refuse to turn over illegal immigrants under federal detainers or outright release migrants in their custody.
The bill’s most poignant weapon creates a right of private action for victims and families of victims to sue the municipalities and officials who released violent offenders, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Just the News.
“We got a good deal that we worked long and hard on”: Jordan
The provision would strip some of the civil immunity that state and local officials enjoy. Currently, in some jurisdictions, those officials enjoy “absolute immunity,” which is the broadest form of the doctrine.
“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.
“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 added.
In addition to the lawsuit provision, the bill also:
Reasserts federal supremacy over state and local laws that restrict cooperation with immigration enforcement with the Department of Homeland Security.
Requires state and local authorities to honor DHS detainers for illegal immigrants arrested for criminal or motor vehicle offenses who are subject to deportation.
Withholds some federal funding from sanctuary states and municipalities who don’t comply and reallocate the monies to compliant jurisdictions.
