Florida Senator Rick Scott ramped up his campaign against sanctuary jurisdictions on Wednesday, claiming that local policies shielding undocumented immigrants from federal authorities are endangering the public.
Scott alleged that cities are currently refusing to hand over inmates charged with murder and rape to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leading him to question the priorities of his colleagues in the Senate.
“These sanctuary cities won’t turn over known criminals in their jails… people who raped women,” Scott said. “And they will not turn them over to ICE. It’s like they hate Americans.”
The Senator’s remarks follow the recent introduction of two major pieces of legislation: the Unifying American Security Interests (UASI) Act and the Sanctuary Jurisdiction Event Security Enhancement Act.
These bills are designed to stop the flow of federal tax dollars to regions that do not cooperate with federal immigration law. Under the proposed rules, cities would lose eligibility for DHS grants and special event security funding unless they certify full compliance with ICE, including the honoring of detainers.
READ: Florida GOP Demands Dems Break Silence On Cherfilus-McCormick Indictment With Petition
“Democrat politicians are putting illegal aliens first and the American people last,” Scott stated during the rollout of the bills. He argued that while the executive branch works to secure the border, Congress must act to withhold funds until local states and cities cooperate with law enforcement.
The UASI Act specifically mandates that 30% of certain DHS grants go toward national priorities like cybersecurity and border crisis response, while explicitly tying grant eligibility to information-sharing with ICE.
The second bill, the Sanctuary Jurisdiction Event Security Enhancement Act, would reallocate security funds from non-compliant cities directly to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Scott also took aim at the Senate’s internal operations Wednesday, promoting his “No Budget, No Pay” bill. The legislation suggests that if lawmakers fail to fund the federal government, they should not receive a paycheck.
“I’ve got a bill that they block every time,” Scott noted. “If you don’t fund the federal government, you should not get a paycheck in the Senate. Every Democrat opposes it.”
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