Rep. Chip Roy has introduced legislation that would impose the strictest penalties to date on sanctuary jurisdictions, cutting off federal funding to places that limit cooperation between their officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"Upholding law and order should be THE top priority for government," the Texas Republican said in a statement reported by the Daily Caller on Tuesday. "For too long, sanctuary jurisdictions have abandoned their commitment to public safety by protecting illegal aliens, including dangerous actors, from arrest and removal by federal authorities, allowing these individuals to again violate the law in our communities."
The Sanctuary Penalty and Public Protection Act, co-sponsored by several GOP lawmakers, would withhold federal funds from jurisdictions that block cooperation with immigration authorities, refuse to honor detainers, or prevent the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security from interviewing incarcerated migrants to determine immigration status and potential criminal activity.
The legislation would also cut funding from jurisdictions that warn migrants of upcoming ICE operations or instruct local law enforcement not to arrest previously deported migrants.
Tragedies involving immigrants who break the law are "preventable and unacceptable," Roy said. "The state and local governments responsible must face consequences for defying federal law and putting law-abiding Americans at risk."
Roy said his bill is intended to increase pressure. "It's long past time that Congress fully strip these lawless jurisdictions of federal taxpayer dollars and provide a full accounting of their abuses," he said.
The bill's GOP co-sponsors include Reps. Randy Weber and Michael McCaul of Texas, Barry Moore of Alabama, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
The measure requires the creation of a public database of sanctuary jurisdictions. The Trump administration has also pursued a list of such jurisdictions. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice identified 13 states, four counties, and 18 cities as sanctuary jurisdictions.
The administration has filed lawsuits against New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York state over sanctuary policies. In July, Louisville officials announced they would comply with ICE detainer requests after warnings from the Department of Justice.
Border enforcement groups are also backing the legislation. "Sanctuary policies defy federal law, endanger American lives, and embolden criminal aliens," said RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement. "The Sanctuary Penalty and Public Protection Act calls out these lawless jurisdictions and hits them where it hurts: the checkbook."
Other organizations supporting the bill include the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the Immigration Accountability Project.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.