An open borders organization made up of immigration lawyers is calling a pair of House bills “mean-spirited” for going after cities that shield illegal aliens from federal law.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is opposing both the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act and Kate’s Law, which was named after Kate Steinle, the American woman who was infamously killed by a repeat criminal illegal alien that was protected by California’s sanctuary city laws.
The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act would hold sanctuary cities across the U.S. accountable for breaking federal immigration law and shielding criminal illegal aliens from deportation.
Meanwhile, Kate’s Law would increase penalties for convicted criminal illegal aliens who re-enter the U.S., while also allowing immigration judges to determine the severity of criminal sentences.
AILA, which profits from a booming illegal alien population in the U.S., says both immigration bills would “erode our nation’s bedrock constitutional principles” by merely cracking down of criminal illegal aliens.
“In one fell swoop, these mean-spirited and unworkable bills will undermine public safety and erode our nation’s bedrock constitutional principles,” AILA President Annaluisa Padilla said in a statement. “The House leadership is rushing the bills to the floor just a few days after making them public and never bringing either before the Judiciary Committee.”
“Committee review would have revealed how provisions in these bills would result in violations of the Fourth and Tenth Amendments,” Padilla continued. “The bills don’t make us safer-they make it even harder for local law enforcement to protect residents and communities. Yet again, Congress is pushing an enforcement-only agenda that scapegoats and criminalizes immigrants and does nothing to advance the reform of our outdated immigration laws and ensure the safety of all our communities.”
AILA Executive Director Benjamin Jonhnson said the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act would make it “more difficult for many localities, including large cities, to arrest and prosecute potentially dangerous criminals which surely cannot be the intent of anyone involved in drafting this legislation.”
The legislation seeks to make sure local law enforcement with sanctuary city protections for criminal illegal aliens are properly turning over those individuals to federal authorities.
Johnson also said Kate’s Law “would waste American taxpayer funds by imposing severe prison sentences” for illegal aliens who have already been deported from the U.S., but continue returning illegally.
Immigration lawyers have a direct stake in keeping the illegal alien population in the U.S. large and growing. With the current estimated 12 to 30 million illegal aliens living in the U.S., immigration lawyers collect fees, payments and receive city funds for defending border-crossers from deportation.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.