House approves Tancredo's amendment on 'sanctuary cities'

Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 16, 2007 at midnight

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House on Friday voted to withhold federal emergency services funding from so-called sanctuary cities that protect illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigration opponent Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., sponsored the measure, which he says would apply to cities such as Denver and Boulder. He was elated by its passage, which stunned critics and supporters alike.

The Littleton Republican's amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill appears to have no language specifically defining what a "sanctuary city" is. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has long disputed giving the city that label.

"The issue has come to fruition," Tancredo said by cell phone after the vote. "The people of the country really have spoken. It's a really good indicator of just how much closer to the people the House is than the Senate is."

The House passed the amendment, 234 to 189, with 50 Democrats voting in favor.

Tancredo and his staff cheered from his office across the street from the Capitol after the vote.

Tancredo has introduced similar amendments at least seven other times since 2004, but each has failed - often by wide margins.

The House on Friday passed the Homeland Security appropriations bill, which now goes to the Senate. It would have to be signed by the president to become law.

A year ago, Tancredo and other immigration foes unveiled billboards in Denver, including one with a mock declaration: "Welcome to SANCTUARY CITY . . . Relax, you made it! Brought to you by Executive Order 116."

The billboard referred to a 1998 order issued by then-Denver Mayor Wellington Webb that outlines the city's anti-discrimination stance regarding immigrants.

"There are no ordinances, executive orders or regulations that establish a 'sanctuary policy' in Denver," the mayor's spokesperson, Lindy Eichenbaum-Lent, said at the time.

"Denver's policies comply with federal law, and Denver law enforcement officers cooperate with federal officials on immigration matters. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said Denver is not a sanctuary city, so merely erecting a misleading billboard doesn't make it true."

A call for comment from Hickenlooper was not returned.

The proposed amendment comes as the Senate is poised to take up debate again next week on an immigration reform plan that some opponents criticize as giving amnesty to illegal immigrants.

President Bush, who supports the Senate's reform plan, sweetened the deal this week by agreeing to include $4.4 billion for border security. The Senate had put the reform bill on ice because it lacked enough support to bring to a vote.

Tancredo said his amendment is an indicator that the House would crush the reform plan if it passes in the Senate.

"If I were (Speaker of the House) Nancy Pelosi, I'd be asking if she could pass a vote on amnesty on the House side," Tancredo said. "If she lost 50 Democrats on this one, and she says she needs 70 Republicans to pass the immigration plan, this is an interesting indicator of things coming down the pike, and that the times, they are a-changing."

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