Sen. Graham pushes for end to 'sanctuary cities' after killing of Alex Pretti
WASHINGTON (WCIV) — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday backed President Donald Trump's call for Congress to pass legislation banning "sanctuary city policies," claiming it will lead to "rational immigration reform."
"I hope Democrats will see the wisdom of this, and the Senate will come together to end sanctuary city policies that are net losers for the country," Graham wrote on social media. "I have done things with Democrats on numerous occasions that were not popular with my base but were good for the country. I ask that you do the same now."
The push for Congress to pass legislation ending sanctuary jurisdiction policies follows the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse. The incident prompted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to, again, urge the Trump administration to roll back the deployment of thousands of immigration enforcement officers to the state.
In an interview on CBS' “Face The Nation,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara explained Minneapolis' policy, saying it isn't the local police's prerogative hand folks over who are in jails. He explained that the jails are county-run, while the prisons are state-run.
"We are complying with the law as we have been for many years,” he told host Margaret Brennan on Sunday. “And I don’t know what else could possibly be asked of this very, very, understaffed and overstretched police department.”
That hasn't stopped Graham, nor the president, from laying blame for the shooting on the hands of Democrats and "sanctuary city" policy positions.
"Reasonable cooperation between the federal government and sanctuary cities and states to ensure we have control over violent, convicted felons facing deportation — and others who present a public safety risk," Graham said. "Sanctuary city policies lead to chaos because states and local governments ignore federal laws that have been on the books for decades."
While 50 percent of voters support President Trump’s deportations and his handling of the border with Mexico, just 36 percent of voters said they approved of the way ICE was handling its job, according to a recent poll from The New York Times and Siena University.
Around 63 percent disapproved of ICE's measures – including 70 percent of independent voters. And 61 percent of voters said that ICE had “gone too far” in their tactics, including nearly one in five Republicans.
"In my view, sanctuary cities incentivize massive fraud like we have seen in Minnesota," Graham said. "They continue to be a magnet for illegal immigration because if you get to one of these sanctuary cities, you wrongfully stay in America."
