GOP-backed legislation would help protect residents, law enforcement in sanctuary cities

GOP Rep. Gabe Evans has proposed a measure on Capitol Hill that he hopes if passed and signed into law will result in the "un-handcuffing police to locate and interdict foreign transgressors." 

"It does a lot of things, but it takes direct aim at those sanctuary state policies by, among other things, extending hold harmless protections to state and local law enforcement officers if they decide to work with the federal authorities to get violent criminals out of our communities, even if that coordination is prohibited by state and local law, which it is in places like Colorado," Evans said on a recent episode of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show.  

The Colorado congressman also told hosts John Solomon and Amanda Head that so-called "sanctuary city" policies – generally local government rules that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement – ultimately endanger residents and law enforcement authorities by preventing police from addressing organized crime.

Evans introduced his UPLIFT Act last month.

He says his bill is a "common sense" approach to getting criminal illegal immigrants out of the U.S., in large part, by allow local law enforcement to work with federal counterparts to detain them. 

The bill also aims to ends what he the problem of Colorado protecting criminal illegal immigrants over victims by create a path to justice for residents harmed by sanctuary policies, such as refusing to honor an immigration detainer request for an illegal immigrant who later commits a crime.

"These sanctuary policies really provide sanctuary only for criminals and violent gangs and cartels that are committing crimes and dealing poison like fentanyl in our communities and in Colorado, it is the people who pay the price," Evans said. "Colorado is number two in the nation for teenagers overdosing and dying on fentanyl, which, again, in my area, is predominantly trafficked by the [Mexica] Jalisco and the Sinaloa cartels."

In addition to Colorado, states that have areas with sanctuary city laws include California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and the state of Washington. 

UPLIFT is the first legislation sponsored by the freshman representative. The legislation is cosponsored by fellow Colorado GOP Reps. Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert and Jeff Crank.

Read more about the UPLIFT Act from Rep. Evan's congressional webpage