A policy expert from the Center for Immigration Studies testified today before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution at a hearing titled “Sanctuary Jurisdiction Policies and Federalism,” highlighting the public safety and governance implications of limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The testimony highlighted recent cases, including the killing of Sheridan Gorman in Chicago, to illustrate the risks posed when local jurisdictions hinder immigration enforcement and prohibit cooperation between state and local law enforcement and ICE.
Jessica Vaughan, the Center’s director of policy studies, testified, “While the motivations for sanctuary policies are ideological and political, unfortunately the costs of sanctuary policies are very tangible.”
Key points:
- More than half of illegal aliens live in sanctuary jurisdictions that limit coordination with federal authorities.
- Over 26,000 ICE detainers were declined nationwide from October 2022 to February 2025; Chicago alone declined 329 in the first nine months of last year, allowing many charged or convicted of assault, robbery, sexual assault on a minor, and even homicide to be released.
- Many individuals released had prior or pending charges, including violent and weapons-related offenses.
- Communicating with ICE takes minutes and honoring detainers imposes negligible costs on local agencies.
- Data show immigrants report crimes at similar or higher rates than U.S.-born residents and rates are similar in sanctuary and non-sanctuary jurisdictions.
- Deportation is significantly less costly than allowing removable aliens to remain (National Academy of Sciences).
Policy recommendations included:
- Congress should bar certain federal funding and tax exemptions on municipal bonds for sanctuaries.
- Congress should clarify that state and local law enforcement have the authority to cooperate with immigration authorities, so that they cannot be blocked from doing so by state and local laws.
- Victims harmed by sanctuary policies should have recourse in the courts.