Cortez Masto files bill to override Trump’s executive order on ‘sanctuary’ cities

WASHINGTON — A bill that would roll back President Donald Trump’s executive order to defund so-called “sanctuary” cities and counties was filed Thursday by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.

Cortez Masto, a Democrat and the first Latina elected to serve in the U.S. Senate, said at a news conference that she would file the legislation co-sponsored by several lawmakers and lawmakers later in the day.

It will be the first bill she has filed as a senator.

“President Trump’s divisive and racist executive order is a threat to the safety and security of our hardworking families and immigrant communities, and must be rescinded,” Cortez Masto told a Capitol Hill news conference.

The legislation is expected to face strong opposition in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-48 majority over Democrats.

Trump signed the executive order last month ordering the Homeland Security and Justice departments to withhold federal money from local governments that do not alert state or federal authorities about a person’s immigration status.

In a White House news conference, Trump defended his order and subsequent deportations as measures aimed to remove criminals and protect Americans.

The Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit that advocates lower immigration levels, said the order is simply the Trump administration’s effort to enforce current laws.

There are no jurisdictions in Nevada that have been declared sanctuaries, although Las Vegas police implemented a policy in 2014 to stop holding undocumented immigrants for federal agents.

Following Trump’s directive, Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani announced she planned to introduce a resolution that would make the county a sanctuary.

In response, Nevada Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, said this week he would introduce legislation that would prohibit any city or county in Nevada from becoming a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.

Roberson said Cortez Masto’s bill would make Hispanic communities less safe. “The only people her bill will help are criminals that prey upon” law-abiding families, he said Thursday.

Officials in some large cities have balked at the president’s executive order and efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. San Francisco has sued the Trump administration and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said her city would not comply with the directive.

Cortez Masto and U.S. Sens. Dick Durban, D-Ill., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said their legislation was designed to keep hard-working immigrant families together and urged Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship.

Republicans in the House and Senate have blocked immigration legislation that would provide citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

The news conference was held as protesters in many cities carried out a “Day Without Immigrants,” a strike by immigrants at restaurants and businesses to illustrate their contributions the workforce and economy in cities nationwide.

Contact Gary Martin at 202-662-7390 or gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.