Rep. Van Duyne Seeks to Punish Sanctuary Cities with New Legislation

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24) announced the introduction of The Recouping Funds from Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025, to punish cities who are actively working against federal authorities seeking to apprehend and deport known criminal illegal aliens. Under this new legislation, a local government that either restricts information sharing on immigration status or refuses to honor Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainers for criminal aliens can be compelled to return unobligated federal funds the local government received during the time it was non-compliant.

"By actively harboring and protecting criminal illegal aliens, sanctuary cities create unnecessarily dangerous circumstances for both law enforcement and law-abiding citizens all across our country," said Rep. Van Duyne. "I know, firsthand, from my time as Mayor of the City of Irving, TX how easy it is to coordinate local law enforcement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations to apprehend and deport criminal aliens. Through this relationship with ICE, we removed thousands of criminal aliens and Irving became the 5th safest city in America, not only for American citizens but also for immigrant populations who are the most likely to be preyed upon by violent alien criminals."

The Recouping Funds from Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025 will apply retroactively to five years prior to its enactment to return unobligated federal funds from sanctuary cities but also includes grace period where jurisdictions can notify the Attorney General, they have ceased their actions and corrected their policies to avoid penalties. This bill is a commonsense reform which has become necessary during this time of increasing violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers and systemic actions by sanctuary cities to subvert the law and endanger American lives by protecting criminal aliens.

BACKGROUND:

• Rep. Van Duyne introduced, No Congressional Funds for Sanctuary Cities Act to combat the national security threat of sanctuary cities.
• Rep. Van Duyne reintroduced the Voter Eligibility Verification Act to ensure states have the resources they need to verify the eligibility of voters and secure their elections, requiring U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to verify and provide the immigration status of potential voters.

Click HERE for bill text.

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