San Antonio Standard

In a letter led by Congressman Tony Gonzales and 22 of his House Republican colleagues, the Biden Administration was urged to take action against sanctuary cities that provide refuge for illegal immigrants who have committed criminal acts. Gonzales expressed his concerns about the release of violent offenders into American communities due to the refusal of sanctuary cities to cooperate with federal law enforcement.

Gonzales emphasized the importance of ending the abuse of the nation's border laws and discouraging sanctuary cities from protecting violent criminals who have entered the country illegally. He highlighted a specific case, stating, "Our nation was devastated by the horrific death of Laken Riley, a nursing student from Augusta University, who was murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela."

The letter called on the Biden Administration to ensure that sanctuary cities cooperate with ICE in turning over criminal noncitizens for deportation, stating, "Your administration has recently called for localities across the country to cooperate with ICE in turning over criminal noncitizens for deportation. We urge you to act on these demands and ensure that sanctuary cities cooperate—our national security depends on it."

The letter was also signed by Representatives Garret Graves, Jay Obernotle, John Rutherford, Andy Harris, Bruce Westerman, Byron Donalds, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Anthony D’Esposito, Nicole Malliotakis, Nancy Mace, Diana Harshbarger, Brandon Williams, Chuck Edwards, John Rose, Carlos Gimenez, Randy Feenstra, Dan Crenshaw, Ralph Norman, Ashley Hinson, Michael Guest, Scott Franklin, and James Moylan.

The full letter can be accessed for further details on the specifics of the lawmakers' concerns regarding sanctuary cities and illegal immigrants.