[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              SANCTUARY CITIES SHOULD LOSE FEDERAL FUNDING

  (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, American taxpayers ought not 
be footing the bill for sanctuary cities to serve as safe havens for 
illegal immigrants, especially hardened criminals.
  Sanctuary cities do not allow money or resources to be used to 
enforce Federal immigration laws. Police or other employees cannot 
inquire about immigration status. An example is San Francisco as a 
sanctuary city.
  I support the CLEAR Act authored by Marsha Blackburn. The act would 
empower local law enforcement agencies in the fight against illegal 
immigration. Under her bill, sanctuary cities would lose Federal crime 
funding unless local governments rescind the policies that prohibit 
local law enforcement from working with the Department of Homeland 
Security.
  Illegal immigrants know they are safe from deportation. If these 
cities refuse to enforce the law, especially when it comes to 
criminals, it ought to cost them.
  This is a first step, and I urge the House to move forward with this 
legislation. Americans deserve our full support.

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