Toomey: Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) today continued his fight to protect our communities from violent criminals and suspected terrorists who are in the U.S. illegally by introducing the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act. In a speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Toomey marked one year since the tragic death of 32-year-old Kate Steinle.

On July 1, 2015, Kate Steinle and her father were walking arm-in-arm down a San Francisco pier when a shooter gunned down Kate. The shooter should never have been on the pier that day. He was in the U.S. illegally, and had previously been convicted of seven felonies and deported five times. Three months prior to Kate’s death, federal officials had requested San Francisco turn over the shooter, but the city refused and instead released him.

During his speech, Sen. Toomey said:

"Mr. President, as a father of three young kids, I can’t even imagine what Jim Steinle and his wife have endured and what they’re going to go through this Friday. But sadly, the Steinles are not alone. According to an internal Department of Homeland Security memo, during an eight-month period in 2014, sanctuary jurisdictions, cities and counties and towns that have chosen to be sanctuaries, they released over 8,000 illegal immigrants just during this period in 2014. 1,800 of those released were arrested for new criminal acts."

"Sometimes, Mr. President, I wonder if we have learned anything. After 9/11, after the Boston Marathon bombing, after the San Bernardino murders, and after this horrendous massacre in Orlando, when are we going to start taking this threat seriously? It’s here! We see it! We’re living through this! Well, in my view, we’ve lived through too much. Way too much."

"The bill stands for the simple proposition that the safety of the American people matters. That the life of Kate Steinle matters. That protecting our own homeland from violent criminals, including terrorists, that matters. So as the Steinles observe the tragic anniversary of their daughter’s death this Friday, I think that they deserve to know that the United States Senate cares about that loss too, that we’re going to do what we can to prevent another senseless and avoidable death from happening again."