Cam Cavitt

On Wednesday, State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, called for a Government Operations Committee hearing on his plan to ban sanctuary city policies in Michigan.

Cavitt’s request for a hearing comes after an undocumented immigrant was accused of murdering a 25-year-old woman in Grand Rapids.

“How many more tragedies must our communities suffer before so-called sanctuary cities realize the error of the ways and the dangerous lawlessness their misguided decisions create?” asked his fellow representatives. “People are not safer when municipalities choose to violate federal law. When cities embrace these policies, they are basically putting up giant billboards telling human traffickers exactly where to bring the dangerous criminals they smuggle across the border. We cannot continue to allow Michigan communities to be active partners in the exploitation of vulnerable people; it doesn’t help immigrants and puts our residents at increased and unnecessary risk.”

In a letter to Committee Chair Tullio Liberati, Cavitt and House Republican Leader Matt Hall urged the committee to hold a hearing on their plan, House Bills 4879 and 4880, to create the Sanctuary Policy Prohibition Act and County Law Enforcement Protection Act, respectively. The plan would prohibit municipalities from enforcing policies preventing local law enforcement from communicating or cooperating with federal immigration officials. More than 20 Michigan communities with more than 5.5 million total residents have designated themselves as “sanctuary” or “welcoming” communities.