A law authored by Rep. Duncan Hunter that would punish cities which give undocumented immigrants sanctuary passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 241-179 on Thursday.
The legislation would withhold $800 million in law-enforcement funding assistance from cities with policies that prevent city workers from fully cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
“The fact that San Francisco, LA and other cities disagree with the politics of federal enforcement doesn’t mean they should receive a pass to subvert the law,” Hunter said.
For the San Diego delegation, the vote was along party lines, with fellow Republican Darrell Issa joining Hunter in voting for the new law, while Democrats Susan Davis, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas opposed it.
“The recent tragic killing of a young woman in San Francisco by an illegal alien and seven-time-convicted felon who had been deported five times has focused the nation’s attention on the real costs of the irresponsible and misguided sanctuary policies some local governments have adopted,” Issa said after the vote.
It’s not clear when or if the Senate will take up the legislation, and it faces opposition from some law enforcement officials, who say local police should not be called upon to enforce federal immigration laws.
Hunter represents the 50th district, which cover most of east San Diego County north of Interstate 8 and east of Interstate 15.
