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Rep. Williams Fights for Victims of Sanctuary City Laws

March 10, 2020

Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX-25) addressed the House of Representatives in support of the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act, which provides a civil remedy for individuals harmed by sanctuary jurisdiction policies.

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

"I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding me time. The greatest commitment I make to my constituents in Texas' 25th District is to keep them and their families safe.

"Unfortunately, some state and local governments are choosing to put politics over public safety by passing sanctuary immigration laws that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officers.

"Sanctuary laws not only release dangerous criminals back onto our streets, but they are also a slap in the face to the millions of immigrants who went through the legal process to enter the United States and comply with our laws.

"I believe that individuals who enter our country illegally should never be afforded the same privileges as law-abiding Texans.

"I support President Trump's decisive and necessary actions to withhold federal grants from sanctuary jurisdictions that proactively make immigration officers' jobs more challenging by refusing to follow the law.

"Congress must take additional action to follow in the footsteps of the Trump Administration. For that reason, today I am proud to speak in support of the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act.

"This important bill holds state and local governments accountable if they choose to put the public at risk by not following immigration laws. It allows for victims to sue sanctuary jurisdictions if a crime was committed by an individual who was released back into the public instead of being turned over to federal immigration enforcement officers.

"A report by the Texas Department of Public safety found that 214,000 illegal aliens were charged with over 340,000 crimes between 2011 to February of 2020.

"Many were serious offenses that put the public at risk. There were over 600 homicides, 37,000 assaults, and 3,400 weapons charges, just to name a few.

"The victims of these crimes deserve to have an avenue to fight back against sanctuary policies. This bill will force state and local governments to choose whether they will change their dangerous policies and get in line with the federal immigration laws, or risk being sued when there is a serious crime committed by an illegal immigrant.

"The Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act is the first step to holding rogue state and local governments accountable for exploiting our broken immigration system.

"I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put the safety of their constituents first by supporting our efforts to get this bill across the finish line. In God we trust, I yield back."