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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today voted in favor of legislation that would ban so-called sanctuary cities from receiving certain taxpayer-funded grants from the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The term “sanctuary cities” refers to nearly 300 communities that have adopted laws or policies that limit the extent to which local authorities can assist the federal government on immigration matters. 

“By undermining federal immigration law, these communities are needlessly risking the safety of American citizens,” said Foxx. “The problem is compounded by the Obama administration’s tacit endorsement of these so-called sanctuary policies and its lack of enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws. Under the administration’s policies, thousands of criminal aliens have been released into American communities. This bill is a good first step but more must be done. It’s time to stop President Obama from shutting down immigration enforcement.”

H.R. 3009, the Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act, passed the House by a vote of 241-179.

Under the legislation, federal grants that would be unavailable to sanctuary jurisdictions include the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (Byrne-JAG).

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the elected Republican Conference Secretary. Dr. Foxx is the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and serves as Vice Chair of the House Rules Committee.