A California GOP state lawmaker tried, and failed, to advance a bill to thwart sanctuary cities – quashed by a Democrat-controlled legislature pushing for California to become the first sanctuary state, Fox News reported.
Assemblyman Travis Allen's proposed to cut off state funds to sanctuary cities, mandate cooperation with immigration officials and deny tax dollars to defend illegal immigrants, Fox News reported.
The measure countered State Bill 54, which bans local law enforcement from communicating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in almost all cases – making California a statewide sanctuary for many of the state's estimated 2.3 million illegal immigrants, Southern California Public Radio reported.
"California's Democrat politicians have been promoting a policy of sheltering criminals in our state who are in here illegally," Allen said, Fox News reported. "Californians don't want criminals who are here illegally to be sheltered in their communities."
"We're not talking about someone's grandmother sitting at home," he added. "Child abusers, drug abusers, stalkers, people guilty of sexual battery. These are serious, serious criminals and we shouldn't we be using state funds to protect those criminals in our communities."
Just hours after being introduced Tuesday in Sacramento, the Assembly Committee on Public Safety squashed Allen's bill, Fox News reported.
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