Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., late last month introduced the “End Sanctuary Policies Act,” which would restrict federal funding for jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
The House Judiciary Committee voted 22-11 Thursday to advance a Republican-backed bill targeting sanctuary immigration policies, sending the measure to the House floor for a full vote despite firm Democratic opposition.
“This bill is for you,” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said. “To Americans across the country who found yourselves at the mercy of criminal gangs and thugs imported by the Democrats’ open border policies, this bill is for you.”
McClintock late last month introduced the “End Sanctuary Policies Act,” which would restrict federal funding for jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
If passed, the bill would allow federal officers to more easily detain and deport undocumented immigrants who commit crimes by requiring greater cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.
However, Democrats on the committee fiercely opposed the legislation. Several lawmakers said the bill is “unconstitutional” and would undermine trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
“You might love the idea of sanctuary cities, or you might hate it. But regardless, this bill goes way beyond sanctuary cities,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.. “This bill is a full-blown assault on the 10th Amendment of the Constitution.”
McClintock dismissed Raskin’s attempt to amend the bill, which added language specifying that state and local officials cannot act in ways that violate 10th Amendment Rights. McClintock said the proposal was unnecessary, arguing the Constitution already protects states’ rights and that restating it in the legislation would be “superfluous.”
Several Democrats attempted to amend the bill afterward without success, including Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa. She said the bill should specify that federal officers cannot enter people’s homes without judicial warrants to conduct an arrest.
“My amendment would ensure that state and local law enforcement do not participate in federal immigration enforcement actions that violate our Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure in our homes,” Scanlon said.
But McClintock countered that because deportation is not a criminal matter, there is no clear avenue to obtain a judicial warrant.
Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., said that if authorities spent even “one minute” obtaining an Article III warrant for each undocumented immigrant in the country, the process would take “almost 20 years of actual time.”
Many Republicans also said current sanctuary policies allow undocumented immigrants accused of crimes to evade detention and deportation, and that the bill would help ensure federal immigration laws are enforced nationwide.
However, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., pushed back against the Republicans’ claim on crime, quoting a 2024 Department of Justice report that showed immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S.-born citizens.
“ICE has gotten totally out of control, and this committee needs to deal with it. It’s the most un-American committee, probably a law enforcement type unit we’ve ever had,” Cohen said. “It’s really not law enforcement. It’s a paramilitary group.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., also condemned the legislation in stark terms, accusing Republicans of pushing local law enforcement to participate in what he described as abusive immigration enforcement practices.
Garcia said the bill was “illegal” and argued it would lead to family separations and violations of civil liberties.
“The Republican Party is controlled by violent extremists who have no morals, who don’t give a damn about this country or the Constitution, whose entire job description is to lick Donald Trump’s imaginary boots, who will sanction the murder of American citizens to keep their seat in Congress,” Garcia said. “This bill is cruel and illegal on its face.”
The House leadership has not announced when the chamber would schedule a floor vote.
