The real goal of the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act
The bill's definition of "sanctuary" is so vague that it opens the door for an agenda to obliterate social safety nets for all working people and communities.

The next few years are going to challenge our representatives in Washington to balance partisan politics against human rights and the interests of the people they serve.
Pennsylvania’s members of Congress have already been put to the test, and elected leaders like Sen. John Fetterman and Reps. Brendan Boyle, Brian Fitzpatrick, Chris Deluzio, Ryan MacKenzie, and Chrissy Houlahan, to name a few, will face a test in the coming weeks. Already, only two months into the year, these elected officials have voted in favor of anti-immigrant legislation that will have consequences for everyone in the commonwealth.
Congress will soon vote on the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act (HR 32) to deny federal funding to so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that have policies that lawfully protect the rights of immigrants. The bill’s vague definition of sanctuary, however, would open the door for political operatives to abuse the power of the federal government to arbitrarily deny all federal funding to any Pennsylvania community that lawfully protects the rights of immigrants.
This is the moment for our federal elected officials to put the public interest ahead of political self-interest.
Make no mistake, this administration is actively pursuing its mass deportation agenda, and it is also using the immigrant community as the scapegoat to push a decades-old agenda to obliterate social safety nets and human services crucial to all communities — like the current attack on Medicaid. It is simultaneously giving tax breaks and subsidies to billionaires and corporations.
The proposed legislation puts millions of lives and livelihoods at risk to score political points. Its goal is not only to terrorize immigrant communities but to justify budget cuts to vital programs and services we all deserve and pay for. These are programs and services this current administration is planning to end, regardless of whether local governments resume cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The bill is out of step with Pennsylvania priorities. Research confirms immigrants are key to the state’s continued economic growth as the U.S.-born population declines. Pennsylvania has been experiencing a worker shortage for years; for every 100 jobs, there are only 60 people looking for work. These worker shortages, across industries and across the state, impact everyone negatively, regardless of immigration status.
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As workers, taxpayers, consumers, and entrepreneurs, immigrants make our state stronger and grow our communities. The data are clear: For this state to have any kind of future, we need to welcome new people into our communities, not terrorize and separate families.
What’s at stake? Pennsylvania received $57.1 billion in federal funding in 2023. That funding provided health care, highways, rail and buses, schools, childcare, and housing, and helped to meet other basic needs facing every Pennsylvania family. Federal funding also supports other local and state priorities, from safe drinking water to law enforcement — even disaster response. Because HR 32’s language is extremely broad in scope as drafted, some or all of those funds could vanish overnight. As a result, we will all be harmed should this bill pass — U.S. citizens and lawfully present immigrants included.
Congressional Republicans rigged the House rules to exempt the bill from committee debate, amendments, and other protections afforded by the legislative process. As a result, the vote could come in the middle of the night with little warning and even less debate. Given the proposal’s content, that may be by design.
This is the moment for our federal elected officials to put the public interest ahead of political self-interest, to demonstrate leadership rooted in values and justice. It is also the moment for all of our elected leaders, from the local to the federal, to be bold and loud in their support of the immigrant community.
These are our friends, neighbors, and coworkers. These are our family members. This administration wants us to be scared, wants us to be divided — that is its strategy. But it can’t come for all of us if we stand together.
Jasmine Rivera is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition.