By Shelby Talcott
Republican North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd introduced a bill Thursday that would allow victims of crimes perpetrated by illegal aliens to sue sanctuary cities if that is where the crime occurred.
The Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act would allow victims of any crimes dating back as far as 10 years to file a lawsuit against a sanctuary city. Illegal aliens with past criminal convictions made up about 74% of arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2018, according to Pew Research Center.
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“I’ve found that sanctuary cities’ failure to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement is reckless and has had a real cost on society, both economically and in terms of human lives,” Budd said in a press release Thursday.
The bill was put forth after more areas in the United States became so-called sanctuary cities, which means they will not assist the federal government with immigration enforcement. The bill would allow any victim of murder, rape, or any felony at the hands of an illegal alien to bring a lawsuit against the state or sanctuary city if it didn’t help with an immigration detainer request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Victims can sue the city if the illegal alien “benefited from a sanctuary policy of the sanctuary jurisdiction.” Another stipulation is that the victim “would not have been so injured or harmed but for the alien receiving the benefit of such sanctuary policy,” according to the bill.
I’m leading the fight for a stronger border and to stop sanctuary cities – because security is the government's first priority. pic.twitter.com/G1mQjjAH7b
— Ted Budd (@buddforcongress) August 13, 2018
“It strikes me as common sense to introduce and pursue legislation that allows families and victims recourse against municipalities and policies that have caused them so much damage,” Budd’s press release read. “Currently, they have none.” (RELATED: No More Bonuses For Terrorists)
Budd’s bill aims to make sanctuary cities accountable for not complying with DHS requests and would require state and local government to waive immunity in order to receive certain federal grants.
Some of the grants given to sanctuary cities would also be limited under the new bill and would cover only public works, administrative expenses, and grants for research.
Cities that are now “sanctuary cities” include San Francisco, New Orleans, and Newark.
“I’m sick of hearing stories about illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities committing horrific crimes against American citizens. It’s time we do something about it,” said Republican Alabama Rep. Bradley Byrne, who introduced the bill with Budd. “Not only will our legislation provide justice for victims, but it will push communities to abandon their reckless sanctuary policies and help disincentivize illegal immigration.”
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