Kentucky Voters Overwhelmingly Support Legislation to Curb Criminal Alien Sanctuary Policies, Finds New Statewide Poll

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Legislation that would hold state and local governments for so-called sanctuary policies that protect deportable foreign criminals has already been approved by the House of Representatives. A new statewide poll of likely Kentucky voters finds overwhelming support for passage of the No Sanctuary for Criminals (H.R. 3003) Act by the Senate, where it awaits action by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to schedule a debate and a vote. With the critical mid-term elections just 14 months away, voters in Kentucky and ten swing states indicated their senators' position on H.R. 3003 would likely affect their vote.

The statewide poll of 402 likely Kentucky voters was conducted by Zogby Analytics on August 17 and 18 on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The margin of error is +/- 4.9%.

The poll found that, by lopsided margins, Kentuckians agree with provisions of the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act that would require state and local police to comply with federal requests to take custody of deportable foreign criminals, rather than release them back onto the streets. 82.9 percent of Kentucky voters support that provision of H.R. 3003, compared with 8.4 percent who said they oppose such a requirement.

Voters also strongly favor holding local governments accountable if criminal aliens are released back onto the streets and re-offend. By a margin of 75%-18.7%, Kentucky voters approve of a provision that would allow victims of crimes committed by deportable criminals released under sanctuary policies, or their family members, to sue those jurisdictions.

"The fate of the No Sanctuary for Criminals bill now rests in the hands of Majority Leader McConnell," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "The bill enjoys broad support not only from voters in his home state, but also from voters in the ten states that will determine the balance of political power in the Senate next year.

"The polling in Kentucky and other states leaves little doubt that Americans want their state and local governments to cooperate with federal efforts to remove criminals from the United States. They demand accountability for these policies from the local governments that make them and they are also expect Congress to a put a bill on the president's desk that reins in reckless illegal alien sanctuary policies," continued Stein.

Notably, support for federal legislation to eliminate policies that prevent state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities cuts across political, racial, ethnic, and socio-economic lines.

Among the key findings of Kentucky voters' views on sanctuary policies:

• 82.9 percent believe that police and sheriffs must comply with detainer requests by Immigration and Customs enforcement. These views are shared by Hispanic voters, 60.8 percent of whom support that requirement.
• 75 percent believe sanctuary jurisdictions must be held accountable for crimes committed by people who were returned to the community because of those policies.
• 76.6 percent of likely voters want Sen. McConnell to support H.R. 3003 (which cannot happen until he schedules a vote), including 83.4 percent of Republicans, 70.8 percent of Democrats, and 71.5 percent of Independents in his home state.

"It is time for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to schedule debate and a vote on H.R. 3003," declared Stein. "The bill has broad support from voters, particularly in states where there will be hotly contested Senate seats in 2018. All senators need to be put on notice that there is no constituency for protecting criminal aliens at the expense of public safety and that blocking the No Sanctuary for Criminals legislation from reaching the floor of the Senate will come at a high political cost.

"When it comes to putting criminal aliens back onto the streets voters demand accountability from the local officials who establish sanctuary policies and from the Senate majority leader who can play a critical role in ending these dangerous policies," Stein concluded.

Click here to see the full poll results.

ABOUT FAIR        
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group.  With more than 1.3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

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