A Virginia sheriff told Congress on Tuesday that three of the five homicides in his county last year were committed by illegal immigrants, as Republicans and Democrats clashed over sanctuary policies at a heated Senate Budget Committee hearing. Michael Chapman, the Republican sheriff of Loudoun County, Virginia, was among the witnesses who testified before the committee as lawmakers debated whether Congress should penalize local jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Similarly, former acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf called sanctuary policies a direct threat to public safety and urged Congress to end them. “States do not have the authority to pick and choose which federal laws are followed,” he said. “To restore the rule of law, common sense, and public safety, the era of sanctuary jurisdiction needs to come to an end — permanently.”
Wolf argued that sanctuary policies block federal agents from identifying and removing individuals already held in local custody. “The American people are safer when state and local government cooperate with federal immigration agencies,” he noted.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) pressed Wolf on why many Democrats remain opposed to immigration enforcement. “In your opinion, why do so many — not all — of my Democratic colleagues believe in open borders?” Kennedy asked.
Wolf responded: “There are some that believe anyone and everyone should be able to come to the United States whether they apply for protections under U.S. law or not. And there are some probably that would like to see more voters in the U.S.”
