Graham, Blackburn bill offers cash incentives to blue states that partner with ICE
FIRST ON FOX: Two Senate Republicans want blue states and sanctuary cities to sign agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are dangling federal funding to get them on...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: Two Senate Republicans want blue states and sanctuary cities to sign agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are dangling federal funding to get them on board. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who is leading the charge, plan to introduce legislation that would incentivize states and local governments to sign cooperation agreements with ICE. They also plan to beef up federal grants as a sweetener to blue states and sanctuary cities that aren’t part of the program. Graham said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "While sanctuary states and cities obstruct ICE, this legislation rewards law enforcement agencies who work with the federal government to keep our communities safe." "No more excuses. When it comes to combating illegal immigration, local law enforcement has the legal authority and, if they choose, the means to go after criminal illegals in their communities," Graham said. "Our bill expands that opportunity." REPUBLICANS SCRAMBLE TO FUND SECRET SERVICE AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AMID RECORD-BREAKING SHUTDOWN The duo’s 287(g) Expansion Act is a two-pronged effort. On its surface, the legislation is designed to lock in ICE agreements with local law enforcement agencies across all 50 states in exchange for boosted grant funding that would support personnel, equipment, supplies and training, among other perks for local police. But it’s also the latest in a string of efforts to dissolve sanctuary city jurisdictions across the country by rewarding states and local governments that work with ICE. The 287(g) program was first established in the late 1990s and allows local governments to enter into agreements with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that effectively delegate some ICE authorities. Those authorities include identifying and processing removable aliens with criminal or pending criminal charges, training police to serve and execute administrative warrants on illegal immigrants in…