Richard Shelby: “I rise in support of the Vitter amendment No. 3277, pending before the Senate. I commend Senator Vitter from Louisiana…”

“I rise in support of the Vitter amendment No. 3277, pending before the Senate. I commend Senator Vitter from Louisiana for offering this important amendment. The Vitter amendment would seek to eliminate Federal COPS funds to local municipalities with what are commonly referred to as sanctuary policies, whereby law enforcement officials are barred from asking suspects about their immigration status or reporting them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Generally, sanctuary policies instruct city employees not to notify the Federal Government of the presence of illegal aliens living in their communities. The policies end the distinction between legal and illegal immigration so illegal aliens often benefit from city services too. The amendment offered by the distinguished Senator from Louisiana, Senator Vitter, would ensure existing law is enforced uniformly across the country by withholding COPS Federal funds for cities that choose to violate the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. A similar amendment was added to the House CJS appropriations bill recently. In August, a poll conducted by Rasmussen reported a proportion of likely voters in favor of cutting Federal funding for sanctuary cities at 58 percent for, with only 29 percent opposed. It was an overwhelming vote. Sanctuary policies, official or otherwise, result in safe havens for illegal aliens and potential terrorists.”