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Democrats slam sanctuary city legislation, labeling it 'The Donald Trump Act'
The Hill ^ | July 22, 2015 | Mike Lillis

Posted on 07/22/2015 2:00:00 PM PDT by maggief

House Democratic leaders are slamming GOP legislation aimed at discouraging sanctuary cities, characterizing the proposal as "The Donald Trump Act" in a bid to embarrass the Republicans bringing the measure to the floor this week.

The proposal, which would withhold federal law enforcement funds for state or local governments that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents, comes in response to this month's fatal shooting of Kathryn Steinle along the San Francisco waterfront, allegedly by an illegal immigrant with a long criminal history.

The House vote on the Republicans' sanctuary city bill is scheduled for Thursday, and it is expected to pass.

Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul, stirred a hornet's nest of controversy when he launched his GOP presidential bid in June with accusations that most Mexican immigrants are criminals — remarks he's amplified since Steinle's death. The Democrats are citing Trump to highlight their criticisms that the Republicans' bill represents a similar attack on immigrant communities.

"We can do all the politicking we want. We can do the so-called 'Donald Trump Act,' which simply denies the cities and towns their dollars to hire police officers while attacking immigrant communities," Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), head of the House Democratic Caucus, said Wednesday in reference to the GOP's floor agenda. "Or we can actually do things that improve the lives of Americans."

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) piled on, accusing the Republicans of exploiting the Steinle killing to promote a long-held agenda of "making the local police an arm of the federal government."

Lofgren emphasized that Democrats want a thorough review of policies related to illegal immigrant criminals — a review that she and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) requested of the administration on Tuesday. But she also warned that the GOP bill, by blurring the lines between federal and local law enforcers, would erode community trust at the expense of public safety.

"With community policing, you need to make sure that the entire community is free to call the police, to serve as a witness, to be part of fighting crime," said Lofgren, the senior Democrat of the Judiciary Committee's subpanel on immigration and border security. "This bill would obviate that, and if you didn't comply by becoming the immigration police you would lose all of the federal funding that help[s] you enforce the laws."

The issue of sanctuary cities has gained national prominence since the death of 32-year-old Steinle, who was killed on July 1 while walking with her father along San Francisco's popular waterfront.

The suspect, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, was released in April by local law enforcers who, citing San Francisco's sanctuary status, defied a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials that he be held while they launched deportation proceedings.

Trump pointed to the tragedy as vindication that his earlier depiction of southern-border immigrants was on the mark.

"This is merely one of thousands of similar incidents throughout the United States," Trump said. "[T]remendous infectious disease is pouring across the border."

The remarks have won him strong praise in certain conservative circles, and recent polls put Trump atop the GOP primary field. But they've also raised concerns among national Republican leaders, who are trying to woo Hispanic voters they see as crucial in a number of battleground states in 2016. Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, has privately urged Trump to tone down the rhetoric.

On Capitol Hill, Steinle's death has prompted a flurry of legislative activity, largely among Republicans aiming to eliminate local sanctuary laws.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced legislation Tuesday that, like the House bill, would tie certain federal grants to the willingness of states, cities or law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal officials in holding or transferring undocumented criminals.

"There is no good rationale for non-cooperation between the feds and state and local law enforcement," Grassley said Tuesday during his panel's hearing on the issue.

Upping the pressure on Congress, Steinle's father, Jim Steinle, urged the Senate panel to move on legislation "to take these undocumented immigrant felons off our streets for good."

"Due to unjointed laws and basic incompetence of the government, the U.S. has suffered a self-inflicted wound in the murder of our daughter by the hand of a person that should have never been on the streets in this country," he said.

Still, the Republican proposals have found strong critics among local law enforcers, many of whom say they simply don't have the authority to detain illegal immigrants beyond the time allowed by local law, federal detainer or none.

"Local agencies cannot be expected to take on these additional duties," Tom Manger, chief of police in Montgomery County, Md., and president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "It is right to call upon us for actions to protect the public from crime and violence, but it is wrong to demand that we engage in matters that relate solely to immigration status."

Rep. Joe Crowley (N.Y.), vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, noted the regional considerations surrounding the sanctuary cities debate. Condemning the Republicans' bill, he argued the importance of unhindered communication in combating problems — including sex trafficking, domestic abuse and gang violence — unique to multicultural urban areas, like his district in Queens.

"In denying funds, federal funds, to cities like New York to hire police officers to engage makes their jobs so much more difficult when they cannot count on the advice and the information coming from the broader community, the general population, including the undocumented communities where there's exploitation of workers … that they need to be able to expose. That would be lost," Crowley warned.

"It's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Mexico; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: New York; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2016election; aliens; brownsupremacy; california; charlesgrassley; donaldtrumpact; election2016; embarcadero; franciscosanchez; invasion; joecrowley; kathrynsteinle; mexico; nancypelosi; newyork; sanctuary; sanfrancisco; texas; tommanger; trump; xavierbecerra; zoelofgren
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To: Starboard; onyx; conservativejoy; Jane Long; Yaelle; stephenjohnbanker

It’s all a ploy. They think the Gopee controlled won’t vote for a bill with trumps name on it. Common on ________less swallow your pride


21 posted on 07/22/2015 2:17:48 PM PDT by hoosiermama (Obam5a: "Born in Kenya" Lying now or then or now?)
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To: lodi90

this is a hanging curve for the beltway GOP and yet they refuse to swing the bat

****************
Yes, it is the proverbial fat pitch in the happy zone. But the Republican batters will “step in the bucket” and strike out. The GOP team batting average is .000 and it is leading the league in strikeouts and hitless innings.


22 posted on 07/22/2015 2:19:20 PM PDT by Starboard
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To: maggief
We are truly in the Twilight Zone.

The notion that sanctuary cities are even remotely legal is incredible. Correctly interpreted, those powers specifically enumerated as granted to FedGov are not allowed to be usurped by states. It is no more legal than states negotiating treaties, printing their own money or raising armies.

It is one of those rare times the leftist scum appear to embrace the Tenth Amendment! They have infinite capacity for chutzpah and hypocrisy.

The enemies of America do whatever they want regardless of the rules, their opponent ( us ) play by the rules. Can two polar opposites, matter and antimatter, the sheep and the wolf, good and evil, possibly co-exist in the same space?

We know what the Wolf would answer.

23 posted on 07/22/2015 2:21:29 PM PDT by Democratic-Republican
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To: maggief

There is a strong likelyhood that naming this bill after Donald Trump will only make it that much more popular.


24 posted on 07/22/2015 2:21:32 PM PDT by lee martell (The sag)
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To: lodi90
Trump should propose that all criminal aliens be released in McLean, VA and Bethesda, MD. That would get the beltway pigs to stop this madness.

Don't forget Greenwich,New Canaan and Darien,CT...which is where the members of the NY Times Editorial Board all live.

Although one or two of them *could* live in Chappaqua..ROFL

25 posted on 07/22/2015 2:22:10 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Obamanomics:Trickle Up Poverty)
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To: maggief

He confessed to the killing. Why the “allegedly”?


26 posted on 07/22/2015 2:28:37 PM PDT by Does so (SCOTUS Newbies Will Imperil America...)
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To: maggief

I like that - we should call it the ‘Donald Trump Act’....


27 posted on 07/22/2015 2:34:17 PM PDT by GOPJ (They are not undocumented and they are not immigrants. They are illegal aliens. Lurkinnamloomin)
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To: goodwithagun
I thought they would call it the Kate/Kathryn Steinle Act. Her father testified before Congress, and it had to be painful for him to do so, especially if nothing comes of it.

Early on I read that the family didn't want her death politicized but it took on a life of its own.

Always conniving and devious.

28 posted on 07/22/2015 2:35:11 PM PDT by Aliska
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To: maggief

“We can do all the politicking we want. We can do the so-called ‘Donald Trump Act,’ which simply denies the cities and towns their dollars to hire police officers while attacking immigrant communities,” Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), head of the House Democratic Caucus, said Wednesday in reference to the GOP’s floor agenda. “Or we can actually do things that improve the lives of Americans.”

Democrat bullsh** boilerplate


29 posted on 07/22/2015 2:38:36 PM PDT by headstamp 2
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To: maggief

“It’s a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.”

May he encounter evidence to the otherwise.


30 posted on 07/22/2015 2:40:38 PM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day".)
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To: maggief
Kate's Law.

It is already known as Kate's Law


31 posted on 07/22/2015 2:42:51 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: headstamp 2

“Democrat bullsh** boilerplate”

This really is getting tired. It’s like Clinton’s “Everyday Americans”...no doubt, she would put the “everyday china” out for them...what total crap, you know things are bad when a creeping part of the left doesn’t even believe in it anymore.


32 posted on 07/22/2015 2:43:45 PM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day".)
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To: maggief
'The Donald Trump Act'

Now there's something the American people can get behind.

Call your congressmen and tell them to support the Donald Trump Act.

33 posted on 07/22/2015 2:44:33 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
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To: Jim Robinson

The legislation should be named for Trump. Without him it would never have been brought up.

Go Trump!


34 posted on 07/22/2015 2:56:27 PM PDT by conservativejoy (We Can Elect Ted Cruz! Pray Hard, Work Hard, Trust God!)
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To: headstamp 2

Pure posturing. Why does anyone take these folks seriously any more.


35 posted on 07/22/2015 3:02:48 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: lee martell

Not to mention yet more free press.


36 posted on 07/22/2015 3:13:13 PM PDT by skippyjonjones
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To: maggief; All
Thank you for referencing that article maggief. Please bear in mind that the following critique is directed at the article and not at you.

"The proposal, which would withhold federal law enforcement funds for state or local governments that refuse to cooperate with federal [emphases added] immigration agents, ..."

FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponent’s Argument

Note that writings by both James Madison, Madison generally regarded as the father of the Constitution, and also Thomas Jefferson, indicate that the states have never delegated to the feds, expressly via the Constitution, the specific power to regulate immigration, immigration uniquely a 10th Amendment-protected state power issue.

And not only is the proposed PC bill unsurprisingly unconstitutional regardless if patriots support the legislation, but we’ll probably never hear the corrupt GOP admit that the so-called federal funds that the GOP is threatening the states with losing should never have left the states in the first place. This is evidenced by the following clarification by state sovereignty-respecting ustices concerning Congress’s limited power to lay taxes.

“Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States.” —Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.

Sanctuary cities would have better access to funding if the feds weren’t stealing state revenues though unconstitutional taxes.

And partly as a consequence of 17th Amendment gridlock, the state legislatures no longer having control over the Senate as the Founding States had intended, corrupt senators would probably ignore their states and pass this unconstitutional bill if the RINO-controlled House does.

As mentioned in related threads, if patriots don’t like sanctuary cities which are reasonably based on 10th Amendment-protected state power imo, then patriots need to work with local and state lawmakers to make state laws to resolve the issue. (Putting a stop to unconstitutional federal taxes is not going to be easy, especially while the 17th Amendment is in effect.)

Alternatively, patriots could work with state and federal lawmakers to appropriately amend the federal Constitution.

37 posted on 07/22/2015 3:22:20 PM PDT by Amendment10
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To: hoosiermama

Kate’s Law, as part of the Trump Act. I like it. Take that...DimPubbicants!


38 posted on 07/22/2015 3:36:27 PM PDT by Jane Long ("And when thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek")
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Check out the demagogic comments from the Demagogic Party touch-holes quoted in the article.

39 posted on 07/22/2015 4:15:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW)
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To: Gay State Conservative

We hear you, brother...to the Republican elite, money from Open Borders big-business types is REAL - crime from Illegals ‘happens, I guess, maybe’. All you’re saying is that you’d like them to experience what the rest of the country is experiencing - in some way, so that they can understand that the people lighting up their phones are not being ‘manufactured’ by Rush Limbaugh, Hantity, etc., but are REAL PEOPLE.

Trump gets it...maybe it’s just better if the rest of the Republicans continue to jump off the cliff by not getting it...it can only HELP US in the end.


40 posted on 07/22/2015 4:44:38 PM PDT by BobL (REPUBLICANS - Fight for the WHITE VOTE...and you will win (see my 'about' page))
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