Why Dianne Feinstein Refused to Vote Against Sanctuary Cities

In May, I received an e-letter from Dianne Feinstein explaining why she did not vote to defund or outlaw sanctuary cities in the United States. I believe that she issued me this response following my attendance at her town hall in West Adams.

Dear Mr. Schaper:

Thank you for writing to share your concerns about policies regarding “sanctuary cities.”  I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

I understand that you are concerned about so-called “sanctuary cities,” in which local governments deny requests from federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants or notify about the pending release of an undocumented immigrant.  I recognize that you support penalizing these jurisdictions for not complying with immigration detainer and notification requests, and impose greater Federal criminal penalties on individuals who unlawfully reenter the country.

"Undocumented immigrants"? Oh brother, this is what we are dealing with.

Unbelievable.

Shame on Feinstein! She refused to join
Senator Toomey to honor Kate Steinle

As you may know, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced legislation last Congress regarding sanctuary cities.  Senator Cruz’s bill, the “Stop Illegal Reentry Act” (S. 2193), also known as “Kate’s Law,” would have increased sentences for immigrants who reenter the U.S. unlawfully.  Senator Toomey’s bill, the “Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act” (S. 3100) would have denied federal funding to any jurisdictions that did not comply with detention or notification requests from federal authorities. 

Guess what, DiFi? The House passed similar legislation--with the same names!--yesterday. How about that?! You better get busy and vote for these bills, or you are facing an early retirement.

To her limited credit, she has signaled her opposition to SB 54. Thank goodness, but let's see how long this lasts, especially if a more left-wing Democrat makes it into the Top Two against her.

I firmly believe that local governments should notify federal authorities upon request before releasing dangerous individuals into our communities.  In addition, I agree that local governments should be required to comply with these requests for such notice where they are unwilling to comply.

OK.

However, I voted against bills authored by Senator Cruz and Senator Toomey because I believe these bills would have swept up otherwise law-abiding immigrants and diverted important resources away from law enforcement agencies where it is most needed.  For instance, S. 3100 would have withheld numerous federal grants from local communities, including those that fund disaster relief efforts, economic adjustment assistance to those affected by military base closures, and public infrastructure projects.  In fiscal year 2015, California received $376.5 million in federal funding from grants targeted by Senator Toomey’s bill.  So, under this bill, California communities would have been at risk of losing important national security and safety funding.

"Otherwise law-abiding" except for the fact that they are in the country illegally, which make them not law-abiding, and therefore (wait for it) ... criminals. Therefore, they need to be deported, too.

Immigration is about safety and also sovereignty. We the People are entitled to secure borders and a clear cultural and moral identity separate from other nations.

Additionally, Senator Cruz’s bill created two new mandatory minimum sentences, which the U.S. Sentencing Commission estimated would have added 57,000 people to the prison population over five years, costing as many as billions of dollars to U.S. taxpayers.

Oh brother. Feinstein and her Democratic ilk doubled the national debt in eight years. Do we really care about another billion here or there? If she wants to engage in cost savings, why not ensure entitlement reforms and the closure of unnecessary programs.

Locking up violent offenders, especially illegal aliens, is worth the cost.

You may be interested to know that I had been working with local jurisdictions to strengthen participation in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), which facilitated collaboration between local and federal law enforcement to take custody of those individuals who pose a danger to public safety.  Unfortunately, President Trump terminated this program through his executive order titled “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.”  This executive order also directs the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to withhold all federal funding to any “sanctuary” jurisdictions that fail to comply with federal immigration laws.

Yes! Any jurisdiction which refuses to comply with and abide by federal law should lose its funding. This is an example of Democratic blaming the law-abiding President and his widespread supporters for the problems created by illberal, lawless municipalities.

Please know that protecting the safety of Americans is my top priority as a United States Senator, and I have strongly supported, and will continue to support, securing our border and preventing dangerous individuals from entering the United States.  During the 113th Congress, I voted in favor of the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill, the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act" (S. 744), which passed the Senate by a strong bipartisan vote of 68 to 32 on June 27, 2013.  Among other things, this bill would have provided an unprecedented $46 billion for border security, required the deployment of 38,405 new trained, full-time, Border Patrol agents, and mandated the completion of at least 700 miles of pedestrian fencing along our Southern border.  Unfortunately, S. 744 was not considered by the House of Representatives before the 113th Congress adjourned.

If DiFi really cared about securing our border, then why hasn't she appropriated the funding for the wall? Her vote for the Obamacare of Immigration Reform bills was a total dude, since it would allow for amnesty first before the securing of our borders.

No way.

She should help appropriate the $46 billion first--and only that.

Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington office at (202) 224-3841 or visit my website at https://feinstein.senate.gov. 

You can also follow me online at YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and you can sign up for my email newsletter at https://feinstein.senate.gov/newsletter.

Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

  Dianne Feinstein

         United States Senator

American Children First: Operation Defund Sanctaury Cities--and Maxine Waters Town Hall

Initiative Filed in Huntington Park on Monday; City Appointed Two Illegal Aliens to Commissions "Operation Defund Sanctuary Cities" rolls on. On Monday I filed our second initiative to defund the City of Huntington Park. Their city council appointed two illegal aliens to city commissions. The initiative would place a measure on the ballot to repeal the utility user tax which generates more than $6 million and accounts for more than 23% of their general fund budget. Los Angeles news stations ABC 7 and Fox 11 were on hand to report on our filing. City Clerk Refused to Accept Paperwork However, the filing wasn't without controversy. One of the most bizarre things I have ever experienced in my years of activism occurred. The city clerk literally refused to accept our paper work and would not process our filing. We refused to leave. Finally, a police officer was forced to do her job for her. And we have it on video. This is the type of lawlessness and corruption we are dealing with in these cities. We know they will do everything in their power to impede our efforts to hold them accountable.   Update on Donations Received Earlier this month, Breitbart News placed a story about our initiative on the front page causing traffic to flood our site and take it offline for nearly the entire day. However, the readers who made the effort to find us still contributed approximately $1,000 to our "Operation Defund Sanctuary Cities" campaign via our GoFundMe page. That $1,000 will be plowed back into supporting our activism because we are going to file our initiative in additional cities very soon. STAY TUNED! These donations will cover the filing fees, legal notices and printing of the petitions. However, we still need to raise funds for other aspects of these campaigns as well as for operating costs like internet hosting and other services. We need more resources to kick the ass of our open borders anti-American opposition. If you feel that I have earned your support and believe that I am capable of providing huge returns on your investment into this cause I would kindly ask you to make a donation today. You can make a donation online via credit card at this link. You can also contribute to our GoFundMe account if you prefer. Or you can simply mail us a check payable to "American Children First." Please note that GoFundMe is our least preferred option since they take an 8% cut in fees. Upcoming News & Events June 24 - Maxine Waters Townhall Meeting Congresswoman Maxine Waters is conducting a town hall meeting this Saturday. However, tickets are sold out. So, those of us who have tickets are going inside and a crew of activists are going to be protesting outside. If you want to join us, be there at 9 AM. Here is the location info with the address. THANK YOU Thank you for your continued support. Please share our Facebook page and articles with your friends and family. And please click the following link for more information about how to donate. Until next time, Joseph Turner Founder, American Children First