U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3003, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act.

“Today’s legislation is another step in ensuring our local communities are kept safe from dangerous illegal aliens,” Luetkemeyer said. “Last year, in Montgomery County, an illegal alien took the innocent life of one of our neighbors. That horrendous act never would have happened if federal immigration law had been upheld by the Department of Homeland Security.”

H.R. 3003 would strengthen current law to combat dangerous sanctuary policies that shield unlawful and criminal immigrants from federal immigration enforcement. The bill would prohibit state or local governments from implementing laws or policies that are contrary to federal immigration law. Failure to comply with federal immigration law would lead to the loss of certain Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security federal grants. Furthermore, this legislation would require that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have probable cause before issuing a detainer. Lastly, this legislation would require that a removable alien be detained if they are charged or arrested for a crime that caused the death or serious bodily injury of another person, and would require the mandatory detention, pending removal of any alien convicted of drunk driving.

In response to the actions in Montgomery County last year, Luetkemeyer introduced the Empowering Local Law Enforcement Act. This legislation would force the Director of Homeland Security to train willing local law enforcement officers to carry out federal immigration actions such as arresting and detaining illegal aliens, and it would provide local law enforcement with information on the most dangerous illegal aliens and provide them with the authority to detain these individuals.