Veasey Condemns Federal Sanctuary Cities Legislation

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted on H.R. 3003, No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, and H.R. 3004, Kate's Law, that would further criminalize undocumented immigrants and force local law enforcement to perform federal immigration duties:

"House Republicans are taking a page out of Texas Republicans' despicable anti-immigrant agenda. Like SB4, these bills aim to punish local law enforcement that would rather prioritize building trust in their communities than take on additional responsibilities that should fall on the federal government. Instead of addressing the reforms our immigration system desperately needs, House Republicans are seeking to further criminalize immigrants who interact with law enforcement even due to the most minor infractions. Our current laws already punish unauthorized immigrants who commit crimes and try to re-enter the country. Continuing to perpetuate the myth that immigrants commit crimes at a higher rate than native born citizens is simply not based in facts. House Republicans cannot continue offering ‘enforcement only' policies as the sole solution to our nation's broken immigration system, especially when those tactics justify racial profiling."