Speech #1140056355

We cannot allow a tragedy like this to happen again. We should never give sanctuary to serious and violent felons. but this Republican bill is not the answer. Getting rid of sanctuary cities will not reduce crimein fact. it will only increase crime and make us less safe. That is why this bill is opposed by law enforcement. immigrant rights organizations. faith groups. domestic violence groups. labor unions. housing and community development organizations. mayors of Californias biggest cities. and the National League of Citiesas well as many others. The truth is that sanctuary cities keep our neighborhoods safe by promoting trust and cooperation between police officers and immigrant communities. And that trust is essential to protecting all of us. Let me give a quick example. A few years ago in Seattle. more than two dozen Asian women were sexually assaulted in the same neighborhood over a 2year period. Because of the strong relationship between police and the communitya community where police are generally prohibited from asking about immigration statusmany of the immigrant victims were willing to come forward and share information with the police. which led to the perpetrators arrest. Dont just take my word for itlisten to what law enforcement in our communities say about the importance of sanctuary city policies. As former San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis said: "We have been fortunate enough to solve some terrible cases because of the willingness of illegal immigrants to step forward. and if they saw us as part of the immigration services. I just dont know if theyd do that anymore." As Ohio Chief of Police Richard Biehl explained: "Sanctuary policies and practices are not designed to harbor criminals. On the contrary. they exist to support community policing. ensuring that the community at largeincluding immigrant communitiestrusts State and local law enforcement and feels secure in reporting criminal conduct." Ending sanctuary policies would keep the voices of immigrant victims and witnesses quiet. That means crimes would go unreported. cases would go unsolved. and dangerous criminals would go unpunished. Ending these policies would actually give sanctuary to dangerous criminals because. without the help of immigrant communities. these violent offenders will continue to threaten our safety. We know this because there are many places in this country where immigrants do not feel safe coming forward. As Texas Sheriff Lupe Valdez said: "A lot of undocumented individuals came from areas where they cant trust the police. The uniform has pushed them into the shadows. Good law enforcement cannot be carried out this way." Just listen to some of the immigrants who were too terrified to come forward and report horrific crimes. Take it from Maria. an immigrant survivor of serious domestic violence. who fled from Texas to Indiana. where her abuser tracked her down. When he came to her house at midnight. she was too afraid to call 911fearing she could be deportedso she called her lawyer over and over. Because it was the middle of the night. her attorney was not at work and came in the next morning to a series of frantic messages left on her voicemail.