Posted: | January 13, 2017 10:44 AM |
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From: | Senator Guy Reschenthaler |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Municipal Sanctuary and Federal Enforcement (SAFE) Act |
In the near future, I plan on introducing legislation that will address the issue of sanctuary cities in the Commonwealth. This bill is designed to prevent municipalities and counties from designating themselves as “sanctuary cities” in order to thwart federal efforts to combat illegal immigration. This was previously introduced by Senator Alloway last session as Senate Bill 997. Last year, so-called “sanctuary cities” came into the national spotlight after the tragic murder of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant. This man would have been deported prior to committing this crime if San Francisco had honored the immigration detainer. Though there is no fixed definition for a “sanctuary city,” the common theme among them is that mayors and other elected officials have prevented their police from honoring an immigration detainer by failing to notify agents of the Department of Homeland Security of the pending release of an individual who has a detainer issued. This misguided attempt at preserving “human rights” ultimately threatens the safety of citizens legally residing in their communities. Several municipalities in Pennsylvania have, unfortunately, taken steps to oppose federal law and will no longer honor an immigration detainer. I plan to introduce legislation that will address this problem. The bill will include the following provisions:
I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this legislation. Please contact my office with any questions at 717-787-5839. |
Introduced as SB10