Congressman Francis Rooney Votes to Support Tougher Penalties for Sanctuary Cities and Illegal Immigrants

Washington, DC – This afternoon, Congressman Francis Rooney voted in support of two bills that will strengthen penalties against sanctuary cities and assist law enforcement in protecting our borders.

H.R. 3004, Kate’s Law, would impose enhanced criminal penalties for illegal aliens with serious criminal records that have been convicted of illegal entry and subsequently return to the United States.

H.R. 3003, No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, would provide for stricter penalties for jurisdictions that operate as sanctuary cities, including barring Department of Justice and Homeland Security grants from being allocated to sanctuary jurisdictions.

Congressman Rooney stated, “It is tragically too late to save the life of Kate Steinle, who was murdered by a 5-time deported criminal illegal alien with seven prior felony convictions. We must deter illegal immigrants who have been convicted and deported, from re-entering our country. This deterrent will protect our citizens and assist in preventing the loss of more innocent lives. In addition, the bill focuses on preventing highly organized and brutal gangs such as MS-13 from taking advantage of our immigration loopholes to traffic drugs and negatively influence our children.”

Congressman Rooney continued, “Today we have also taken action against rogue cities that refuse to respect federal law, yet believe they should be entitled to federal funding. Cities who refuse to uphold the law should not receive one penny of federal grant money. The safety and security of our communities are at stake.”

Background for H.R. 3004 and H.R. 3003:

Kate’s Law (H.R. 3004) – This bill protects public safety by enhancing penalties for deported felons who return to the United States. The bill is named after Kate Steinle, who was murdered in San Francisco by an unlawful immigrant who had previously been deported five times and was convicted of multiple felonies. In another tragic example, Nicodemo Coria-Gonzales—a criminal immigrant previously deported at least five times—is reportedly responsible for nearly a dozen sexual assaults. He allegedly kidnapped a woman and attempted to light her on fire using gasoline, and kidnapped and raped a 68-year old woman.

The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act (H.R. 3003) – This bill strengthens the law to combat dangerous sanctuary policies that shield unlawful and criminal immigrants from federal immigration enforcement.

• Provides More Tools to Fight Sanctuary Policies and Punish Rogue Cities: Specifically, the bill clarifies U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer authority—the tool used by federal immigration enforcement officers to pick up criminal aliens from local jails—by establishing statutory probable cause standards to issue detainers for the first time. It also withholds certain federal grants from jurisdictions that violate federal law by prohibiting their officers from communicating with ICE.
• Protects the Public from Dangerous Criminals: The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act also contains Sarah and Grant’s Law, which ensures unlawful immigrants convicted of drunk driving or arrested for other dangerous crimes are detained during their removal proceedings.