White House Threatens To Veto Bill That Would Crack Down On Sanctuary Cities
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) — The White House is threatening to veto a House GOP bill that would crack down on "sanctuary cities" that shield residents from federal immigration authorities.
An Obama administration statement says the legislation being voted on Thursday would threaten civil rights by allowing law enforcement officials to gather immigration status information from any person at any time. The statement says such an approach would lead to mistrust between local communities and law enforcement agencies.
The bill comes in the wake of the shooting in San Francisco where a woman was killed, allegedly by an immigrant who was in this country illegally despite a long criminal record and multiple deportations.
The father of the woman, Jim Steinle, told the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday that Congress should push forward with efforts to close legal loopholes that currently allow local authorities to decide if they will cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
TIMELINE: How San Francisco Became A Sanctuary City For Undocumented Immigrants
The bill would cut off certain federal grants and spending for cities that don't cooperate with federal immigration requests.
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