Following the recent passage of H.R. 3009, The Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, Church World Service (CWS) denounced the bill, noting the negative impact it would have on public safety and trust between communities and local police. H.R. 3009 would cut federal funds for community safety programs in states and cities where police are not forced to serve as immigration enforcement agents. Faith communities throughout the country have joined local efforts to build this community trust for the common good of all.
“This bill would have a direct, negative impact on communities across our country, destroying the hard-won trust that local law enforcement officers have built with our immigrant brothers and sisters,” the Rev. John L. McCullough, CWS President and CEO stated. “Community-policing efforts have a proven record of increasing public safety. H.R. 3009 is an extreme measure that ironically claims to increase public safety by defunding crime-prevention programs in cities across the country.”
CWS urges all members of the U.S. Senate to reject this bill and any similar legislation that would defund local police departments as punishment for their work promoting public safety and building relationships with communities. The CWS network stands ready to work with members in both the House and Senate to defeat punitive and counterproductive legislation, and to instead address sustainable solutions that would fix our broken immigration system, renew our criminal justice system, and promote community-policing efforts.
Contact:
Megan Cagle, 602-399-0723, mcagle@cwsglobal.org