Sanctuary Cities: The Cost of Undermining Law and Order
U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget
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By Jessica M. Vaughan on March 10, 2026
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Thank you, Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Merkley, for the opportunity to testify. Today there are 13 states and about 100 localities that have adopted sanctuary policies. We estimate that more than half of the illegal immigrant population resides in sanctuary jurisdictions, with more than one-fifth in California. These policies are a significant hindrance to immigration enforcement and a challenge to the supremacy clause of the Constitution. Equally important, they bring substantial costs to the community – the needless human cost of new victimizations at the hands of criminal aliens released instead of being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for removal, and the considerable fiscal costs associated with providing services to illegal migrants who are attracted by the policies. Congress should act to preserve the prerogative of law enforcement agencies to cooperate with immigration enforcement, penalize and create liability for jurisdictions that enact laws or practices to obstruct enforcement.
https://cis.org/Testimony/Sanctuary-Cities-Cost-Undermining-Law-and-Order
