On the recordOctober 20, 2015
the death of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by a convicted felon who illegally crossed the border multiple times was horrific. It left a family heartbroken and shocked our community, our State, and our Nation. We cannot allow a tragedy like this to happen again. We should never give sanctuary to serious and violent felons, but this Republican bill is not the answer. Getting rid of sanctuary cities will not reduce crime--in fact, it will only increase crime and make us less safe. That is why this bill is opposed by law enforcement, immigrant rights organizations, faith groups, domestic violence groups, labor unions, housing and community development organizations, mayors of California's biggest cities, and the National League of Cities--as well as many others. The truth is that sanctuary cities keep our neighborhoods safe by promoting trust and cooperation between police officers and immigrant communities. And that trust is essential to protecting all of us. Let me give a quick example. A few years ago in Seattle, more than two dozen Asian women were sexually assaulted in the same neighborhood over a 2-year period. Because of the strong relationship between police and the community-- a community where police are generally prohibited from asking about immigration status--many of the immigrant victims were willing to come forward and share information with the police, which led to the perpetrator's arrest.…
