House Judiciary Committee to investigate Washington state’s sanctuary status – Washington Examiner
The House Judiciary Committee is investigating Washington state’s “sanctuary” status regarding illegal immigrants and its interactions with federal immigration authorities. This scrutiny comes in the wake of heightened examination by Congress and the Trump management of states and cities that have declared themselves as sanctuaries,choosing not to assist in federal deportation efforts.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and other Republican representatives have sent a letter to Washington’s Attorney General Nick Brown, questioning the state’s immigration policies that allegedly hinder federal enforcement. They describe Washington’s sanctuary law as protective of criminal aliens, impacting public safety and allowing hazardous individuals to remain in communities rather of being deported.
The lawmakers have requested documentation concerning local law enforcement’s dealings with federal immigration offers from 2023 onward, alongside detailed statistics on ICE detainers that Washington has declined. The letter stresses the importance of understanding Washington’s role in potentially undermining federal immigration law and public safety. The inquiry reflects ongoing tensions between local authorities who adopt sanctuary policies and federal immigration enforcement.
House Judiciary Committee to investigate Washington state’s sanctuary status
The House Judiciary Committee is seeking answers on Washington state’s “sanctuary” status for illegal immigrants and how the state interacts with federal immigration officials.
Congress and the Trump administration have placed increased scrutiny on states and cities that have vowed to be “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants and not cooperate with federal deportation efforts. Washington state is the latest jurisdiction to get scrutiny from lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), along with Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) sent a letter to Washington Attorney General Nick Brown demanding answers on the state’s immigration policies. The trio of lawmakers said the state “actively thwarts federal immigration enforcement” and “targets local law enforcement officials for complying with federal law.”
“Washington’s sanctuary law shields criminal aliens in the United States at the expense of American citizens and legal immigrants. In a 2019 report, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warned that sanctuary jurisdictions were ‘[o]ne of the biggest impediments to … public safety efforts,’” the lawmakers said in the letter.
“In fact, sanctuary policies all but guarantee that dangerous criminal aliens can be released back into American communities instead of being arrested by ICE and removed from the country,” the letter continued.
The three GOP congressmen requested Brown give them all documents and communications of state and local law enforcement agencies’ interactions with federal immigration officers from 2023 to the present, along with any materials related to investigations into local law enforcement for cooperating with federal immigration officials during that time.
The letter also demands the “number of ICE detainers that Washington state and local law enforcement officials declined to honor” since 2023 and the amount of funds being used in a lawsuit against the Adams County Sheriff’s Department for cooperating with federal law enforcement officials. The three lawmakers gave Brown a deadline of April 14 at 5 p.m. to provide responses to the questions.
“Given the dangerous nature of sanctuary jurisdictions and their active role in thwarting federal immigration enforcement, the Committee is concerned about Washington’s role in undermining public safety in contravention of federal immigration law,” the lawmakers’ letter continued.
NEWT GINGRICH CALLS RECENT FEDERAL RULINGS AGAINST TRUMP A ‘JUDICIAL COUP D’ETAT’
Last month, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing with the mayors of New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Denver, all of which are “sanctuary” cities.
During the hearing, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) praised New York City Mayor Eric Adams for his city’s cooperation with federal immigration officers. However, he was critical of the other mayors.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...