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A church in North Carolina has sheltered an illegal immigrant and her children, shielding her from arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)agents Friday.

Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro, N.C. began protectingMinerva Cisneros Garcia from deportation Wednesday, according to Winston-Salem Journal. Garcia received notice from ICE officials in May that they would no longer grant her a stay of removal and that she was required to show them a bus ticket to Mexico by Friday. Garcia initially rejected the idea of taking the churchs offer of sanctuary, but now resides therewith her two youngest sons.

ICE will not arrest and deport Garcia because of their policy of avoiding arrests in sensitive locations, which includes places of worship. Garcia has three sons, the youngest of which, ages 6 and 3, are U.S. citizens. Garcias oldest son, who is blind and aged 21, while not a citizen of the U.S. is protected under the Obama-era policy ofDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

The pastor of the church,Rev. Julie Peeples, notified ICE of the sanctuary they have provided to Garcia and her children. ICE has yet to respond at this time.

The church is one of several around the nation that hasself-declared as a sanctuary church, shielding illegal immigrants in their community from arrest and deportation for over a year.

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Church Blocks Deportation Of Illegal Immigrant - The Daily Caller

An illegal immigrant who found himself detained and turned over to federal immigration authorities is poised to collect $190,000 from the city of San Francisco, according to KPIX-5.

The TV station reported that city lawyers have agreed to pay the settlement to Pedro Figueroa-Zarceno, a native of El Salvador who sued, alleging the city violated its sanctuary policy by alerting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The citys Board of Supervisors still must approve the deal, but there does not appear to be much opposition.

It is a powerful reminder that even as the House of Representatives on Thursday passed a pair of measures to crack down on sanctuary policies and increase penalties for repeat illegal immigrants with criminal records, progressive cities such asSan Francisco are zooming in the opposite direction.

"That is beyond backwards. That is perverse," said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies. "Talk about an incentive to come here illegally. I just can't wrap my head around that."

It is unclear how much San Francisco has paid on litigation costs associated with its sanctuary executive order. The Immigration Reform Law Institute, the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the city denied its open records request on attorney-client grounds.

San Francisco adopted its sanctuary policy in 1989, becoming one of the first jurisdictions in the country to prohibit police from cooperating with federal officials on immigration enforcement.

Yet when Figueroa-Zarceno went to the police station in December 2015 to recover his stolen car, someone tipped off ICE. He found himself detained for two months, marked for deportation. Officials, in fact, had issued a civil deportation order back in 2005, according to KPIX.

Figueroa-Zarceno is fighting his deportation and has a hearing date in 2019, according to the TV station.

"There's an insanity in California that is just unfathomable."

KPIX also reported that the police department is promising "serious consequences" if it determines any officer violated policies and procedures. John Cot, a spokesman for San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, told the news outlet that sanctuary policies foster trust between law enforcement officers and residents.

"This proposed settlement is a fair resolution for all of the parties involved," he said.

Joseph Guzzardi, a spokesman for Californians for Population Stabilization, ripped San Francisco's decision to agree to a six-figure settlement with a man who is not even in the country legally.

"It just goes to show the extent to which San Francisco city officials are willing to go to support their own sanctuary policies," he said. "It's completely and totally an assault on taxpayers and not justifiable in any way."

David Cross, a spokesman for Oregonians for Immigration Reform, agreed.

"There's an insanity in California that is just unfathomable," he said.

The settlement even drew comments during the House debate over the immigration bills. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who sponsored both bills, said it is disappointing San Francisco would pay an illegal immigrant considering the city was the location of the shooting death two years ago of tourist Kate Steinle, allegedly at the hands of another illegal immigrant.

"People who are murdered, people who are injured by people who are unlawfully present in the United States, should have their day in court with the city of San Francisco or anyplace else," he said.

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San Francisco Poised to Pay $190000 to Illegal Immigrant - LifeZette

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

On a Thursday morning in January 2015, Grant Ronnebeck, a 21-year-old convenience store clerk, was working the graveyard shift at a Quick Trip in Mesa, Arizona. Just before 4 a.m., an angry customer walked in, demanded a pack of cigarettes, and dumped a handful of change on the store counter. When Grant attempted to count the money, the man pointed a gun at Grants head. Grant immediately handed over the cigarettes. The man murdered Grant, took the cigarettes, and casually walked out of the store.

This is a tragic and heartbreaking story by any account, but it is unthinkable to realize that it was absolutely preventable. The perpetrator, Apolinar Altamirano, was an illegal immigrant with a long criminal record who had been released from federal custody while awaiting deportation proceedings. Had Altamirano remained in custody and been swiftly deported, he and Grant Ronnebeck would never have encountered each other and Grant would still be with us today.

Sadly, this isnt the only instance in which an innocent American has been the victim of a crime by an illegal immigrant. In 2014, Mesa police officer Brandon Mendoza was killed in a wrong-way car crash by an illegal immigrant driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In 2015, Kate Steinle was killed by a stray bullet fired by an illegal immigrant in possession of a stolen firearm. In January 2016, Sarah Root was killed by an illegal immigrant who was street racing while drunk in Omaha, Nebraska. In Sarahs case, her killer, Eswin G. Mejia, was released after posting a small bond and was never heard from again. These are three high-profile cases that many Americans are familiar with. But they are not the only ones.

Despite tragic stories like these, the Obama administration promoted policies that circumvented many of our immigration laws, allowing thousands of violent criminals to return to our communities. Worse still, cities around the country implemented sanctuary policies, providing safe haven to all illegal immigrants, including the criminally violent. Actions like these have directly led to the demise of our immigration system and put illegal immigrants ahead of the safety of Americans. If we are going to regain control over our immigration system, it is time to ensure policies like these no longer remain in place. That is why I am very pleased to have co-authored H.R.3003, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, which includes a section specifically addressing illegals who commit the types of crimes perpetrated in Grant, Kate, Brandon and Sarahs deaths.

The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act will finally put penalties in place for cities, states, and local law enforcement agencies that implement sanctuary policies by disqualifying them for certain federal grants. No jurisdiction should have the opportunity to benefit from federal taxpayer dollars while blatantly violating federal law and endangering the lives of Americans. It will also place responsibility on those jurisdictions who release illegal immigrants after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks for them to be detained by allowing victims of crimes committed by these individuals to directly sue the jurisdiction. Finally, H.R.3003 would ensure that illegal immigrants who wind up in custody for crimes will not be released back onto our streets and will not have the chance to commit additional crimes.

I am thankful that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte recognized the need for this important legislation and was willing to work with me and Grants father, Steve Ronnebeck, to ensure its passage in the U.S. House of Representatives. I am also thankful for President Trumps commitment to immigration enforcement in the early months of his presidency. Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order which eliminated catch and release and sanctuary city policies. H.R.3003 codifies the policies in his executive order to ensure no future president can unilaterally change them. I look forward to H.R. 3003s swift consideration in the U.S. Senate and being signed into law by President Trump.

Andy Biggs is a Republican U.S. representative from Arizona.

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Illegal immigrants who commit crimes get a break under Obama ... - Washington Times

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON Warning of threats to public safety and national security, the Republican-led House on Thursday approved two bills to crack down on illegal immigration, a key priority for President Donald Trump.

One bill would strip federal dollars from self-proclaimed "sanctuary" cities that shield residents from federal immigration authorities, while a separate measure would stiffen punishments for people who re-enter the U.S. illegally.

The sanctuary measure was approved 228-195, while the bill to punish deportees was approved 257-167. Three Democrats joined all but seven Republicans to pass the sanctuary measure, while 24 Democrats backed the deportee bill. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan was the only Republican who opposed the deportee bill.

The bills now go to the Senate.

Trump, who often railed against illegal immigration during his presidential campaign, hailed passage of the House bills and urged the Senate to act "save American lives." Trump met at the White House this week with more than a dozen family members of those killed by people in the country illegally.

"Opposing these bills, and allowing dangerous criminals back into our communities, our schools and the neighborhoods where our children play, puts all of us at risk," Trump said.

One of the bills, known as "Kate's Law," would impose harsher prison sentences on deportees who re-enter the United States. The bill is named after 32-year old Kathryn Steinle, who was shot and killed in San Francisco in 2015 by a man who was in the country illegally. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who pleaded not guilty to the crime, had been released by sheriff's officials months earlier despite a request by immigration officials to keep him behind bars.

The second bill would bar states and localities that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities from receiving certain Justice Department and Homeland Security grants, including some related to law enforcement and terrorism.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the two bills would help "avoid the kind of tragic circumstances that have totally involved the lives of the people who were at the White House ... speaking up for their loved ones."

The sanctuary measure follows "a simple principle that if you're going to receive taxpayer dollars from the federal government to keep people safe, that you've got to follow the law and keep them safe," Goodlatte said.

Democrats said the bills were feel-good measures intended to make lawmakers look tough on crime.

"We're not doing bumper stickers here. We are doing laws," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

She and other Democrats said the sanctuary measure was "about telling people how to police their cities" and telling local officials that "we in Washington, D.C., know better than you do."

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he appreciates Congress' effort to "address the dangers of sanctuary cities and illegal immigrant offenders."

At a news conference at the Capitol with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Kelly said his agency "will enforce the laws that are passed by Congress," adding, "I am offended when members of this institution put pressure and often threaten me and my officers to ignore the laws they make."

A spokesman said later that Kelly "will continue to push back against any attempt pressure, threat or otherwise to ignore the enforcement of immigration law."

"Enforcement is not selective, occasional or arbitrary, it's the law," spokesman David Lapan said.

The Justice Department's inspector general has identified California and major cities such as Chicago, New York and Philadelphia as locales with barriers to information-sharing among local police and immigration officials. The Trump administration warned nine jurisdictions in late April that they could lose coveted law enforcement grant money unless they document cooperation.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who met with the families Thursday, said Steinle "would still be alive today if only the city of San Francisco had put the public's safety first. How many more Americans must die before we put an end to this madness?"

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said "Kate's Law" would not have had an impact on the Steinle case, noting that Steinle was killed in July 2015 by an immigrant who had been mistakenly released by the federal Bureau of Prisons.

The proposed bill "would not have kept Kate Steinle's killer off the streets," Gutierrez said. "Instead, we are voting on a bill to put other people in different circumstances in jail for longer periods of time. It is a bait-and-switch strategy: Use a horrible tragedy to sell a policy that would not have prevented that death, so that you put more immigrants in jail for longer periods of time."

___

Follow Matthew Daly: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

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House GOP backs bills to crack down on illegal immigration - WRAL.com

On July 1, 2015 -- almost exactly two years ago to the day -- Kathryn Steinle was shot and killed while walking in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant who had been deported from the U.S. multiple times after repeatedly entering the country illegally.

A law named for Kathryn, "Kate's Law," is one of two bills the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to consider on Thursday meant to both crack down on "sanctuary cities" and toughen penalties for those previously deported who re-enter or attempt to re-enter the country.

Kate Steinle was just one victim of a crime committed by an undocumented immigrant, and the stories of others like Kate -- those whose lives were ended by crimes committed by people who entered the U.S. illegally -- have found a prominent placement in the narrative of the downfalls of America's immigration system at the bedrock of President Trump's platform.

See the victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants:

13 PHOTOS

Victims of murder committed by undocumented immigrants

See Gallery

Dominic Durden

Durden, 30, was riding his motorcycle when he was killed in an accident with an undocumented immigrant driving a pickup truck.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: Sabine Durden (R) of Mineral Spring, Arkansas, whose son Dominic Durden was killed in a traffic accident with an undocumented immigrant, receives a hug from Acting Assistant Director of VOICE Office Barbara Gonzalez (2nd R) after a news conference April 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly held a news conference to announce the opening of the new Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

JamielShaw Jr.

Jamiel Shaw Jr., 17, was shot and killed near his home by two undocumented immigrant men.

Jamiel Shaw holds a memorial pin featuring his murdered son, Jamiel Shaw Jr., 17, who was killed by in Los Angeles an illegal immigrant. Shaw joined others talking about dealing with the loss of their children and shared a meal together during an annual Holiday Party hosted by Justice for Murdered Children at Mills Park community room in Carson. The group works with police to help solve case of murdered children. Hundreds of donated gifts were given to the children of the families. (Photo by Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Sgt. Brandon Mendoza

Mendoza, 32, was killed in a head-on collision when an undocumented drunk driver crashed into his vehicle.

Immigration Reform Advocate Mary Ann Mendoza, left, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. Republican factions trying to stop Donald Trump's nomination noisily disrupted a vote on party convention rules, displaying the fissures in the party on the first day of its national convention. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Grant Ronnebeck

Grant Ronnebeck, 21,was shot in the face during a shift at the Quick Trip mart by an undocumented immigrant.

Montgomery County Police Department Chief Thomas Manger listens to testimony by other witnesses as he appears before a Senate Judiciary Committee on U.S. immigration enforcement policies, on Capitol Hill in Washington July 21, 2015. Pictured at right is murder victim Grant Ronnebeck, whose death was alleged to be at the hands of an undocumented immigrant. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Sarah Root

Sarah Root, 21, was killed in a car accident by an undocumented drunk driver who was driving while three times over the legal limit.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - SEPTEMBER 28: Donald Trump invites Michelle Root onstage whose daughter, 21-year-old Sarah Root, was killed in January by a drunk driver who turned out to be in the country illegally at a Trump rally on September 28, 2016 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Trump has been campaigning today in Iowa, Wisconsin and Chicago. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Kathryn Steinle

Kathryn Steinle, 32, was murdered while walking along a San Francisco pier by an undocumented criminal who had been deported several times prior.

strolling on San Francisco's Embarcadero, was a tragedy.

Family members of murder victim Kathryn Steinle, allegedly killed at the hands of an undocumented immigrant, react as her father Jim Steinle (not pictured) testifies about her murder during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on U.S. immigration enforcement policies, on Capitol Hill in Washington July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

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Many of these victims' families felt championed by the president's campaign agenda, and movement of these two bills through the House could mean Trump is one step closer to making good on his "law and order" promises he proudly touted throughout the 2016 election season.

Fathers like Jamiel Shaw and Steve Ronnebeck, whose sons were both gunned down by illegal immigrants, were invited by the Trump team to take part in campaign events. Jamiel Shaw appeared at the 2016 Republican National Convention to tell the story of his 17-year-old son's death, while Ronnebeck spoke at an August campaign rally in Phoenix, where he told a crowd of his son's being shot in the face while working a shift at a convenience store in Mesa, Ariz.

SEE ALSO: Attorney General Sessions says sanctuary cities may see federal grant cuts

Sabine Durden's 30-year-old son, Dominic, was killed in 2012 while driving his motorcycle when an undocumented immigrant crashed into him with a pickup truck. Durden, like Jamiel Shaw, spoke of her son's death and the need for at the RNC.

"'I've been talking about my son's death since he was killed in 2012, and no one listened until Donald Trump," Durden said. "Donald Trump is not only my hero. He's my lifesaver."

Both "Kate's Law" and the "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act" are sponsored by GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee.

"We passed [Kate's Law] in the last Congress and it didn't go anywhere," Goodlatte recently told Fox News, "and we're hoping the Senate will take it up because it has such enormous public support."

According to the Hill, Democrats will encourage members of their caucus to vote no on the bill cracking down on sanctuary cities, but will be less so pressing when it comes to "Kate's Law."

RELATED: A look at "Sanctuary Cities" in the US

22 PHOTOS

Sanctuary Cities in the USA

See Gallery

Washington, DC

(Photo: Shutterstock)

New York City, New York

(Photo: Getty Images)

Jersey City, New Jersey

(Photo: nimu1956)

Los Angeles, California

(Photo: Chris Pritchard)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(Photo: Rudolf Balasko)

San Francisco, California

(Photo: Noah Clayton)

San Diego, California

(Photo: Aleksey Butov)

San Jose, California

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Oakland, California

(Photo: Getty Images)

Salt Lake City, Utah

(Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel)

Houston, Texas

(Photo: Jeremy Woodhouse)

Detroit, Michigan

(Photo: Jumper)

Chicago, Illinois

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Minneapolis, Minnesota

(Photo: Rudy Balasko)

Denver, Colorado

(Photo: Chris Rogers)

Baltimore, Maryland

(Photo: Getty Images)

Seattle, Washington

(Photo: Alamy)

Portland, Oregon

(Photo: Alamy)

New Haven,Connecticut

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Cambridge, Massachusetts

(Photo: Cassandra Hubbart, AOL)

Portland, Maine

(Photo: Getty Images)

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"Kate's Law is a little more complicated," Democratic whip Rep. Steny Hoyer reportedly told reporters on Tuesday. "I'm advising members to look at it carefully and see what their conclusion is."

The Trump Administration issued a statement expressing support for the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act this week, saying President Trump would sign the bill into law if passed in its current state.

"The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 3003, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act," a statement from the Trump administration released on Tuesday read. "This bill would ensure that American taxpayers are not subsidizing States and localities that work to affirmatively thwart Federal law enforcement efforts."

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Originally posted here:
'Kate's Law': GOP could win big with bills addressing illegal immigration - AOL