SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) led a letter with 22 of his House Republican colleagues in Congress urging the Biden Administration to force sanctuary cities to cooperate with ICE and discourage sanctuary cities from providing refuge for illegal immigrants who have committed criminal acts.
“We are especially concerned by the willful failure of sanctuary cities to hold criminal noncitizens in custody after federal law enforcement has issued detainers for their arrest. This refusal has on various occasions led to the release of violent offenders into American communities, posing a direct threat to public safety. We are asking you to take aggressive action to end the abuse of our nation’s border laws and discourage sanctuary cities from providing safe harbor to violent criminals who have entered our country illegally,” Congressman Gonzales penned in the letter.
“Our nation was devastated by the horrific death of Laken Riley, a nursing student from Augusta University, who was murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela. Laken’s perpetrator had previously been arrested in New York City, only to be released by local authorities despite a detainer being issued against him…Due to your administration’s unlawful abuse of catch-and-release policies, criminal aliens are being set free onto our streets, only to be protected by sanctuary cities that have no regard for our federal laws. Your administration has recently called for localities across the country to cooperate with ICE in turning over criminal noncitizens for deportation. We urge you to act on these demands and ensure that sanctuary cities cooperate—our national security depends on it.”
Representatives Garret Graves (LA-06), Jay Obernotle (CA-23), John Rutherford (FL-05), Andy Harris (MD-01), Bruce Westerman (AR-04), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Nancy Mace (SC-01), Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Brandon Williams (NY-22), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), John Rose (TN-06), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Ralph Norman (SC-05), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Michael Guest (MS-03), Scott Franklin (FL-18), and James Moylan (Guam-AL).
Click here to read the full letter.
Click here to read Congressman Gonzales’ Fox News Digital Interview with Adam Shaw.
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