Latino Leaders Call On Senators To Stand Against Another Anti-Immigrant Measure

Washington, D.C. – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, wrote to members of the U.S. Senate this summer urging them to oppose S. 1814, the “Stop Sanctuary Cities Act.” This week, the bill has resurrected as S. 2146, the “Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act,” also authored by Senate Vitter. 

Much like its predecessor, the bill seeks to cut off vital funding to local governments when local law enforcement exercise their right to promote community trust by not cooperating with federal immigration authorities. These communities, commonly and inaccurately known as “sanctuary cities,” have proven to foster safety with immigrants, who are empowered to report crimes without the fear of deportation.

S. 2146 capitalizes on the tragic death of a San Francisco woman. The bill moves in the Senate this week, while providing no solutions to enhance public safety or promote immigration reform.

This vote will be scored and included in NHLA’s congressional scorecard as a reflection of the Senator’s support of the issues important to the Latino community.

“This bill targets the Latino community and offers no viable solutions in addressing our broken immigration system or community safety. Instead, S. 2146 creates mistrust between the immigrant community and law enforcement. As I have stated many times, studies show that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “Immigrants, whether undocumented or not, live in peace and are contributing members of our society. It is time to act humanely and pass real immigration reform.”

“Intermingling local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement undermines public safety, full stop,” statedThomas A. Saenz, NHLA Vice Chair and MALDEF President and General Counsel. “This bill will make folks everywhere less safe, and it should be flatly rejected.”

"This bill represents the latest appalling attempt to criminalize how we treat our nation's immigrants," stated Jose Calderon, President of the Hispanic Federation. "The Senate leadership needs to show that they're serious about leading and categorically reject this effort to tear immigrant families apart and undermine the public safety of cities across our nation.”