GOP Rep. On Sanctuary Cities: ‘Enough Is Enough’

Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) says he, too, will be reintroducing legislation targeting sanctuary cities.

“How many murders of innocent citizens are acceptable before we finally stop the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policies of localities when it comes to illegal immigration?” Barletta asked Wednesday.

“We hear an awful lot about compassion for the people who break our immigration laws, but where is the outrage when an illegal immigrant commits a violent act that robs a family of one of its cherished members?” he continued.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) revealed Tuesday that he is also introducing legislation targeting sanctuary jurisdictions with a focus on their State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) funding.

Barletta’s bill, the Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act, would strip federal funding for a minimum of one year to any state or locality that has laws or policies in place obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law. The jurisdiction would only regain their federal funding once the attorney general verifies full compliance.

The legislation follows the recent murder of Kate Steinle by a five-time deportee, seven-time illegal immigrant at a San Francisco pier.

“I introduced this bill four years ago, but Congress didn’t have the political will to pass it at that time,” Barletta added. ”But when we see the senseless death of a young person who was as full of life as Kate Steinle, there comes a time when we have to say, ‘Enough is enough. Our immigration laws have to mean something.’