Congress Must Defeat the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act
(Washington)--Congress should be working to protect sanctuary cities at a time when the Trump administration is focused on mass deportations on an unprecedented scale. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) calls on Congress to defeat H.R. 32, the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act.
“Under this bill, jurisdictions with sanctuary policies are forced to engage in the administration’s mass deportation plan or face having federal funds for essential services taken away,” said ILRC Policy Attorney and Strategist Nithya Nathan-Pineau. “Either choice punishes entire communities and threatens the safety of everyone. Congressional leaders’ attempts to bully cities that have embraced the idea that all members of their community should be valued and supported and trying to vilify sanctuary is despicable.”
“Sanctuary policies are constitutional and are a way local officials can show they value communities by building trust, promoting safety, and attempting to disrupt the arrest to deportation pipeline which disparately impacts communities of color,” Nathan-Pineau added. “Despite the public spectacle and attempt to control the news cycle with hateful scare tactics we will continue to support the growth of sanctuary policies and defend them.”
All members of Congress should reject this bill for the following reasons:
- It will reduce funding for programs providing nutrition, education and healthcare services
- It will reduce funding for important infrastructure projects
- It will make it easier for people to be placed in the deportation pipeline and will funnel people into ICE custody
- It will force local law enforcement to collude on mass deportation efforts
- It violates the Constitutional protections in the 10th Amendment’s anti-commandeering provisions by forcing local government and law enforcement to provide information and material support to immigration enforcement authorities.
“No local jurisdictions should be forced to contribute to mass deportation efforts or face having federal funding for essential services taken away,” Nathan-Pineau added. “Supporting this bill will be a vote to harm all communities.”
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC works to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. Follow us at www.ilrc.org, and @the_ILRC on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and TikTok. Also follow us on Bluesky @the-ilrc.bsky.social, and on Facebook.