# What the "No Funding for Sanctuary Cities Act" Actually Does

This bill is designed to pressure cities and states into cooperating with federal immigration enforcement by threatening to cut off their federal funding. Essentially, it says that any state or local government that limits how much its police help federal immigration authorities will lose access to certain federal grants and programs.

The bill creates several specific consequences for jurisdictions that don't comply. First, they lose eligibility for federal law enforcement grants—including money for local police programs and crime prevention initiatives. Second, the federal government can refuse to transfer immigrants in its custody to non-complying jurisdictions, even if local authorities request them. The bill also allows the federal government to withhold funding for at least a year once a jurisdiction is found non-compliant, and any money that gets withheld gets redirected to states that do cooperate.

The bill also makes it harder for immigrants to get released while their cases are being decided. It removes time limits on how long someone can be detained during removal proceedings, expands the categories of immigrants who must be held without bail, and raises the standard for getting released—people now have to prove they're not a danger or flight risk "by clear and convincing evidence," which is a much higher bar than before. Additionally, the bill creates a private right of action, meaning crime victims can sue states that released immigrants who later committed crimes, if those states had ignored federal detention requests.

The one exception the bill includes is that it doesn't require police to report or arrest victims or witnesses of crimes, recognizing that people need to feel safe coming forward to report crimes without fear of immigration consequences.

No Funding for Sanctuary Cities Act

Pfluger, August

<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">No Funding for Sanctuary Cities Act This bill addresses federal immigration enforcement issues. A government entity may not prohibit its personnel or another government entity from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts or inquiring about an individual's immigration status. Currently, a government entity is only barred from prohibiting the sharing of immigration-related information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A noncomplying state or local government shall be ineligible for certain grants and assistance related to law enforcement, terrorism, and immigration. DHS may (1) decline to transfer a detained non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) to a noncomplying government entity even if that entity has issued a writ or warrant, and (2) issue a detainer if there is probable cause to believe that an individual arrested for any criminal or motor vehicle offense is inadmissible or deportable. DHS may not transfer an individual with a final order of removal to a noncomplying government entity. A victim of certain felonies (including murder and rape) may sue a state or local government entity that had refused to honor an immigration detainer request and released the individual who later committed the crime. Furthermore, the bill (1) expands the categories of offenses requiring mandatory detention, (2) provides legal immunity for a state or local government entity or official temporarily detaining a non-U.S. national under federal authority, (3) provides that an individual may be detained indefinitely while removal proceedings are pending, and (4) restricts a detained non-U.S. national's release on bond. </body></html>