The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed a bill to remove the sanctuary policies in Washington, D.C.
The bill, called the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act, requires DC to “comply with federal immigration laws.”
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement that Sanctuary policies have “devastating real-life consequences.”
“As our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. should be the safest, most ‘America First’ city in the United States, and Congress has the Constitutional authority to end the city’s sanctuary status. My bill is a small step towards returning Washington DC to We, the People,” he said.
Higgins further stated that his bill “nullifies any statute, ordinance, policy, or practice of the DC government which restricts any entity or official from providing citizenship or immigration status to federal, state, and local law enforcement or from complying with the lawful request by the Department of Homeland Security … that regards the apprehension and detention of aliens.”
“The bill also provides safe harbor for individuals who come forward as a witness to or is a victim of a crime,” he added.
In February, the White House released a statement criticizing leaders of sanctuary cities and states across the country, specifically listing anti-ICE actions in Minnesota, Illinois, Washington State, California, and New York.
“President Donald J. Trump is removing illegal immigrant killers, rapists, and drug dealers from our streets and sending them back where they belong — but if politicians in so-called ‘sanctuary’ locales had it their way, these vicious criminals would still be free to roam our streets,” the release said.
