The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing today that included mentions of the very anti-immigrant SAFE Act, the first time the bill has been mentioned since it passed out of committee in 2013. Just in time, seventeen law enforcement leaders from 13 states sent Congress a letter notifying them of their opposition to the SAFE Act.
The letter highlights the burden the bill would be on local and state law enforcement, the role that such a bill would play in seeding mistrust of law enforcement among communities, and the need for Congress to pass real immigration reform instead.
As Chief Tom Manger, President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said in a press release:
Everyone should know that they can report a crime without having to fear that we might come after them for immigration violations. That trust is key to keeping all of us safe. The SAFE Act would damage that trust.
Signatories hail from Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
