Forty-two House Republicans are pressing appropriators to defund sanctuary jurisdictions that protect illegal immigrants by refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
In a letter to the committee heads that oversee Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department funding, the 42 lawmakers, led by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), urge that their upcoming spending bills include language blocking funding from sanctuary cities.
“The concept of sanctuary city policies is in direct opposition to the Rule of Law,” the letter reads. “A nation of laws must enforce established law, not seek ways to skirt enforcement. Sanctuary cities defy federal immigration laws by harboring untold numbers of illegal immigrants and providing safe havens for criminals, many of whom are violent offenders.”
In addition to pressing for appropriators to defund sanctuary cities, Gosar marshaled lawmakers to press appropriators to include additional immigration items in their spending bills. Twenty-one members signed onto Gosar’s letter seeking for appropriators to leverage certain DHS funding in order to pressure the administration into finishing the rest of the 2006-mandated border fence. Thirty-five House member joined Gosar in a letter calling for the upcoming DHS spending bill to block funding for President Obama’s executive amnesty.
“The House of Representatives — indeed, the legislative branch — must take a stand against these overreaching actions. Our constituents sent us to Washington to put a stop to this nonsense. The Founding Fathers meant for this hallowed body to be tied most closely to the will of the American citizenry. We must assert out constitutional power of the purse against the president. In doing so, the will of the people will be done,” the 36 lawmaker’s letter reads.
Additionally, Gosar led 20 House members to block funding for the Central American Minors (CAM) program to fly Central American minors to the U.S., and 47 members joined Gosar to fully fund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).