White Bill to Hold Sanctuary Cities Liable for Damages Passes State House
HARRISBURG—The House has passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) to hold cities and municipalities liable for damages caused by illegal immigrants living in so-called “sanctuary cities” in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
White introduced
House Bill 1885 after Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney declared Philadelphia a sanctuary city – meaning that the city will not turn over illegal aliens to federal officials.
“Local officials cannot create their own immigration law,” White said. “When you disagree with federal law, you advocate for change. Choosing not to uphold our laws sets a dangerous precedent.”
White’s legislation would hold responsible any sanctuary city in Pennsylvania for the damages to persons or property as a result of criminal activity by unauthorized aliens if:
• It has been determined by federal immigration officials that the person that engaged in the criminal activity is an unauthorized alien.
• The unauthorized alien is a resident of the sanctuary municipality.
• The unauthorized alien is convicted of the crime.
• The criminal activity is a proximate cause of the injury.
The legislation also would prohibit any restrictions on an official or employee of a municipality from:
• Sending to or receiving from federal immigration officials any information regarding the citizenship or immigration status of an individual.
• Exchanging information, with regard to an individual, with other federal agencies, state agencies or municipalities.
• Requesting an applicant for state or local public benefits to provide proof of eligibility.
Under this legislation, if a law enforcement officer of a municipality has reasonable cause to believe that an individual under arrest is not legally in the United States, he or she must immediately report the individual to the appropriate federal authorities.
There is no debate that illegal aliens have harmed Americans. In 2011, the Government Accountability Office released a study on approximately 250,000 illegal aliens in federal, state and local prisons. Those prisoners had been arrested nearly 1.7 million times and committed 3 million offenses, averaging about seven arrests and 12 offenses each.
“This is an issue that has bipartisan support,” White said. “The Obama administration is opposed to sanctuary cities. As are other prominent Pennsylvania Democrats including Mayor Nutter and Governor Ed Rendell, who as you know, are both former mayors of Philadelphia. When leaders from both parties stand up and say Sanctuary municipalities are wrong we must do so as well.”
House Bill 1885 now moves to the Senate.
Representative Martina White
170th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
dfoster@pahousegop.com
www.RepWhite.com /
www.facebook.com/RepMartinaWhite