LWVUS Joins Letter Urging Congress to Oppose Denial of Federal Funding to Sanctuary Cities

The League joined a letter urging Congress to oppose a bill that would block sanctuary jurisdictions from receiving federal funds that benefit undocumented immigrants through food, shelter, health care, legal services, and transportation. These sanctuary jurisdictions are those that elect to limit local officials’ role in federal immigration enforcement.

Dear Members of Congress, 
 

The undersigned organizations, representing immigrant, anti-poverty, children’s, health care, labor, civil rights, environmental, and many other areas of advocacy write in opposition to H.R. 5717, the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act. This bill could deny states and localities across the country billions of dollars in federal funding for critical services that protect the health and safety of all residents. It would impose new penalties on state and city governments, forcing them to choose between abandoning policies that protect their constituents or losing funding for a vast array of essential programs. 

This bill would block the distribution of federal funds to a potentially large number of cities and states that have elected to limit local officials’ role in federal immigration enforcement, though it is not clear how this law would be implemented. While undocumented immigrants are ineligible for the major federal public benefit programs, states and localities receive funding for essential services that benefit all residents. This bill is written so broadly that it could cut off significant sources of funding for states and localities and undermine every resident’s access to critical services, potentially including: 

● Department of Education grants, National School Lunch Program funding, and other forms of federal support for schools, which are not allowed to refuse enrollment by undocumented students. 

● Emergency Medicaid, which provides states with funding for emergency care for people ineligible for Medicaid due to their immigration status. In the case of public hospitals run by a city or county, all federal funding for uncompensated care, such as Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments, could be at risk. 

● Women Infants and Children program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Emergency Food Assistance Program and other nutrition programs that support food banks and other community partners that do not restrict help by immigration status. 

● Federal Emergency Management Agency grants for non-monetary in-kind assistance, which are not restricted by immigration status. 

● Department of Transportation grants used for the benefits of communities, such as providing free public transit services that might be used by undocumented immigrants. 

● Violence Against Women Act grants, such as those supporting violence crisis centers that do not turn away people based on their immigration status. 

States and local governments often choose to limit their role in immigration enforcement in order to meet critical goals and priorities of their residents. Limiting entanglement with federal immigration enforcement conserves local resources and avoids a deterioration of trust in public institutions, like public schools, that results from local law enforcement working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Such collaboration is associated with housing instability, chronic student absenteeism, low birth weight, negative child well-being outcomes, and decreased use of preventive and prenatal care for immigrant communities and their children. Further, many jurisdictions wish to limit deportations given the negative impacts on family stability, child well-being, and trust of authorities. Research demonstrates that protective policies offer the benefit of enhanced community trust in public institutions, including hospitals and health centers, without causing any increase in crime. H.R.5717 would arbitrarily deprive funding for states, localities, and their residents simply for undertaking reasonable policy measures that aim to enhance public safety and community well-being. 

We urge you to reject this extreme legislation and any other attempts to infringe on the rights of cities and states to support their immigrant communities. 

Sincerely,

See Attached Letter for Signatories