Burns supports ending ‘sanctuary cities’ in Pennsylvania
Puts bipartisan weight behind House bill, with taxpayers in mind
Rep. Frank Burns January 17, 2024 | 1:07 PM
EBENSBURG, Jan. 17 – With the nation facing an unprecedented and unrelenting tidal wave of southern border crossings and related negative fallout, state Rep. Frank Burns is sponsoring a House bill that would block local governments in Pennsylvania from declaring themselves “sanctuary cities.”
The move by Burns, D-Cambria, adds bipartisan weight to H.B. 1840 – legislation embraced by Burns because he doesn’t think it fair for Pennsylvania taxpayers, at all levels, to be saddled with sky-high costs related to undocumented immigrants.
“Whether you call them illegal immigrants, undocumented immigrants or just plain migrants, the net effect is the same: A sudden influx of people who require all manner of public-funded services, from housing to health care to help with education,” Burns said. “To relieve that suffocating financial burden, states are now busing or flying these people to other states, and cities are sending them to other locations within the same state.
“We don’t need to keep open a ‘sanctuary city’ door in Pennsylvania that in reality serves as a portal to exacerbate this trend. Call me names if you want, but I think the top priority of any elected official in Pennsylvania should be taking care of the people who are already – and legally – here.”
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“Call me names if you want, but I think the top priority of any elected official in Pennsylvania should be taking care of the people who are already – and legally – here.” – State Rep. Frank Burns
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The bill supported by Burns, which is currently before the House Judiciary Committee, would essentially:
- Block municipalities and counties from taking actions to prohibit enforcement of the laws of the Commonwealth or federal laws pertaining to immigrants or immigrations.
- Require law enforcement officers to immediately report to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office within the Department of Homeland Security any arrested individual they have reasonable cause to believe is not legally in the United States.
- Allow any person injured to sue a municipality or county that released an individual with a detainer without making a good faith effort to contact the proper immigration authorities and arrange for a transfer of custody.