Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, has proposed legislation to prevent federal funds from being allocated to sanctuary cities that transfer migrants to other cities without notification. The aim of this bill is to ensure that non-sanctuary cities are not caught off guard by receiving immigrants they are not equipped to assist.
The district of Owens covers the central region of Utah, which is in close proximity to Salt Lake City and Provo.
According to Owens, cities like Denver that have self-proclaimed themselves as sanctuaries are exploiting legal loopholes and utilizing the money of federal taxpayers to transport undocumented immigrants to non-sanctuary cities like Salt Lake City. In a statement, Owens expressed concern over the fact that these so-called sanctuary cities are abandoning migrants at airports, bus stations, and city halls without any support, services, or sponsors.
The proposed legislation called the Sanctuary City Oversight and Responsibility in Enforcement Act:
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- Requires sanctuary cities to provide notice of imminent migrant arrivals to non-sanctuary jurisdictions.
- Requires documentation to prove the newly arrived migrants will continue receiving support at their destination through a family, sponsor or other organization.
- Makes cities who send migrants without warning or proper documentation ineligible to receive FEMA Shelter Service Program (SSP) funds.
FEMA is committed to providing financial aid to non-federal entities that offer humanitarian assistance to migrants who have been released from DHS custody. As part of this commitment, in April, FEMA announced a generous amount of $640 million in SSP funds that will be distributed to various cities and organizations across the country.
