A new Democrat-sponsored bill would ban federal immigration officials from arresting illegal immigrants at designated areas like courthouses.
The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Rep. José Serrano (D-NY), and Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) would essentially make it impossible for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to arrest illegal immigrants at courthouses, as well as medical, educational, and religious facilities.
The legislation goes into a vague explanation of general areas where ICE agents would be banned, citing “other public spaces where the threat of immigration enforcement may deter individuals from seeking services or participating in their community.”
Exemptions are included in the legislation, allowing for ICE to ignore the proposed law if the illegal immigrant is an “imminent risk of death, violence or physical harm to any person” and if the individual is a felon or terror suspect. The exemption would also apply for illegal immigrants who are suspected of trying to destroy evidence in a criminal investigation.
Bonamici derided current immigration law enforcement procedures in an interview with the Washington Post, claiming recent deportations of criminal illegal immigrants were “mean-spirited.”
“Our communities are better and safer if all residents feel secure when accessing justice, seeking education and health care, or practicing their faith,” Bonamici said. “Recent ICE action targeting immigrants has been aggressive and mean-spirited, and it does not improve the safety of our communities.”
Due to the hundreds of sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide, ICE has said that it has been forced to use courthouses as a target location.
“In years past, most of these individuals would have been turned over to ICE by local authorities upon their release from jail based on ICE detainers,” Virginia Kice told the LA Times. “Now that many law enforcement agencies no longer honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly have both adamantly defended ICE against the attacks, writing in a letter together last month that “The arrest of people in a public place based upon probable cause has long been held by the United States Supreme Court as constitutionally permissible.”
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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