LOS ANGELES—A congressman representing parts of northern Los Angeles County announced Feb. 9 he is co-sponsoring a bill that would allow victims of crimes committed by immigrants in the country without legal permission in Los Angeles and other so-called “sanctuary cities”' to sue the city if it did not honor an immigration detainer request from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, said in a statement he is co-sponsoring the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act to hold cities “accountable for their inactions.” The bill was first introduced in the Senate by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, in July 2019.