Bill To Punish Sanctuary Cities Advances In Louisiana House

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A bill that would punish so-called "sanctuary cities" that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration matters without a court order has advanced in the Louisiana House.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said he supports the proposal, adding uncooperative local jurisdictions could be inviting to terrorists and raise financial, legal and medical concerns.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the measure Thursday without objection for full chamber debate. Among other things, it would keep such municipalities from gaining state approval to borrow money. Lawmakers said the bill could impact two Louisiana cities, New Orleans and Lafayette.

Lawmakers debated whether the proposal would promote racial profiling or unfairly penalize cities under federal consent decrees.

Opponents called the measure an affront to local governance, adding it destroys public trust with immigrant communities.