Heinrich Votes Against Bill To Punish Sanctuary Cities, Underscores Need For Comprehensive Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement today after voting against S.2146, a bill to punish sanctuary cities by withholding federal law enforcement funding:

"This bill fails to offer pragmatic reforms needed to fix our broken immigration system, while jeopardizing critical funding for public safety.  This is a politically driven effort that would punish cities that have worked hard to build community trust to reduce crime, including domestic violence. When residents feel comfortable contacting the police to report a crime, everyone is safer. Instead of focusing on an unfunded mandate that threatens public safety, Senate Republicans should work with Democrats to pass a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration bill like we did two years ago.

"In New Mexico, our state's remarkable spirit is rooted in our diversity, our history, and our culture, which has always been enriched by our immigrant communities. As the son of an immigrant, I'm familiar with the unique promise America represents for families. I know how hard immigrants work, how much they believe in this country, and how much they're willing to give back.

"It's critical that we modernize our immigration system to meet the needs of our economy, build on existing efforts to strengthen security at our borders, provide an accountable pathway to earned citizenship for the undocumented workers currently living in the shadows, and increase the trust between law enforcement and communities to keep us safe."