Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after all six Roanoke City Council candidates expressed initial support for making Roanoke a “sanctuary city,” which shields individuals from the enforcement of federal immigration laws:
“It may be April Fool’s Day, but this is no joking matter. It is extremely alarming that anyone seeking elected office would support this wrongheaded policy. Sanctuary cities needlessly endanger American lives by adopting public policies refusing to cooperate with the federal government to enforce immigration laws. These sanctuary cities are known to become magnets for gangs, drug dealers, and other criminal aliens as safe havens to avoid apprehension, detention, and deportation under our immigration laws. The preventable tragedies as a result of this are all too common. The unlawful criminal alien who went on to murder Kate Steinle on a pier in San Francisco was previously detained by San Francisco police on drug charges. However, he was released by city officials. Why? Because San Francisco is a sanctuary city.
“Why is it more important to shield dangerous criminal aliens from immigration enforcement than it is to protect the people of Roanoke? In representing Roanoke and the Sixth Congressional District in Congress, I do not want to see a single life lost or any additional victims of other crimes at the hands of criminal aliens. I hope the City of Roanoke remains with the many thousands of local governments in the U.S. that do not support so-called sanctuary city policies. Our immigration laws must be enforced and respect for the rule of law maintained.”
Meanwhile Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed House Bill 481 and Senate Bill 270, which both sought to prohibit the release of individuals in the custody of state or local law enforcement if those individuals are suspected of violating U.S. immigration laws.
“Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 481, which attempts to prohibit the release of certain persons held by state or local officials who are suspected of violating U.S. immigration laws.
Virginia law already leaves it to the discretion of state and local law enforcement officials how to respond to lawful detainer orders received by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This bill does nothing other than subject non-citizens in legal disputes with federal immigration officials to inequitable treatment. The debate surrounding this bill confirms that it is intended to communicate a sense that non-citizens are to be feared and should be treated as more dangerous than other persons.
Rather than stoking irrational fears of non-citizens present in the Commonwealth, the General Assembly should be focused on substantive policies to improve public safety in Virginia. House Bill 481 makes no one safer and inappropriately stigmatizes many of those who are caught up in a broken immigration system. Accordingly, I veto this bill.”
