The Department of Justice’s Inspector General has released a memorandum that finds that the practices of sanctuary jurisdictions violate federal law. This report was only made public after the Senate voted down Sen. Toomey’s bill that would have ended sanctuary practices.
The IG report showed that sanctuary jurisdictions who inhibit police from cooperating with ICE detainer requests are in violation of federal law yet have received millions in federal Justice grants. According to the report 10 out of the 155 jurisdictions examined by the IG were given over $342.1 million in Justice grants or about 63% of funds available to all American cities.
“The Inspector General’s decision is sound and firmly settles the question. Now, the law and the American people demand that this Administration cease its acquiescence in this illegality. The Obama Administration must immediately take action to withhold significant federal law enforcement funding for these offending jurisdictions,” Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) wrote in a press release.
The report was finished two months ago but was wrongfully marked ‘Law Enforcement Sensitive’ and so was not made available till after the Senate voted down Sen. Patrick Toomey’s (R-Penn) bill, The Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act (S. 3100).
The bill would have defined a "sanctuary city" as any state-level jurisdiction that fails to communicate with federal immigration officers or comply with a detainer request. The bill sought to block community and economic development grants to jurisdictions that fit the definition and protect local police from liability if they act on behalf of federal immigration agents. The bill only gained 53 of the 60 votes needed to pass.
In response to the bill’s defeat Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch warning her that if she did not take specific actions to stop sanctuary jurisdictions from receiving federal grants he would use his position as Chairman of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee on Appropriations to remove her ability to move money around within the department. Lynch has taken the actions outlined in Rep. Culberson’s letter.
Read more on this story at The Washington Examiner.
