Senator UNLEASHES Sanctuary City Funding MASSACRE

Senator Eric Schmitt has launched a full-throated legislative assault on sanctuary cities and Democratic immigration policies, vowing to cut federal funding to jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with ICE enforcement operations.

Story Highlights

Senator Schmitt introduces sweeping legislation to defund sanctuary cities and enhance ICE agent protections following fatal Minneapolis shootings
Republicans reject Democratic demands for ICE reforms as “ridiculous,” demanding elimination of sanctuary city status as precondition for DHS funding
Legislation would make illegal entry a felony, expand denaturalization authority, and revoke tax-exempt status for NGOs supporting sanctuary policies
DHS funding deadline creates high-stakes showdown with Democrats threatening to block appropriations without agent oversight measures

Schmitt’s Legislative Offensive Against Sanctuary Cities

Senator Eric Schmitt introduced the Protect America Act on February 5, 2026, conditioning federal funding on local cooperation with immigration enforcement. The Missouri Republican’s legislation directly targets sanctuary cities that limit collaboration with ICE agents, threatening to eliminate billions in federal dollars to major cities like Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Schmitt declared his position unequivocally: “My view is we’re not doing any of this stuff until, unless, we end sanctuary city status, because that’s what’s causing all of this, is the lack of cooperation.” This represents a constitutional exercise of Congress’s spending power to enforce federal immigration law against local government obstruction.

Enhanced Penalties and Agent Protections

The legislation transforms illegal entry from a misdemeanor to a felony offense while mandating detention for illegal reentrants. Schmitt’s package includes enhanced legal protections for ICE agents conducting enforcement operations, shielding them from liability while performing federal duties. The senator framed this as basic support for law enforcement: “These guys and gals have families. They are husbands, they are fathers, they have a job to do, and they are doing it.” Republicans argue these protections became necessary after organized anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis escalated following fatal shootings by agents in late January 2026, with protesters using whistles to alert neighborhoods and obstruct federal operations.

Denaturalization Expansion and NGO Targeting

Beyond sanctuary city enforcement, Schmitt introduced the STOP Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act on January 28, 2026, expanding denaturalization authority for immigration fraud and serious crimes. The legislation targets naturalized citizens who obtained citizenship through misrepresentation or later committed significant criminal offenses. Additionally, Schmitt’s package would revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits deemed to support “criminal violence”—language critics worry could broadly target civil rights organizations assisting immigrants. These provisions reflect longstanding conservative concerns that Biden-era policies created pathways for fraudulent citizenship claims and enabled organizations to undermine immigration enforcement with taxpayer subsidies.

High-Stakes Funding Showdown

The DHS funding deadline in early February 2026 created intense negotiations between Republicans demanding enforcement priorities and Democrats insisting on ICE reforms. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that “ICE and the Department of Homeland Security need to change. And absent that, then the full-year appropriations bill is in deep trouble.” Democrats demanded judicial warrants for ICE operations, agent identification requirements, and de-masking mandates. Senator Katie Britt rejected these as a “ridiculous Christmas list for the press,” accusing Democrats of bad-faith negotiations. Senator Josh Hawley argued Democrats were “trying to hold hostage all of these other agencies” despite lacking votes to actually defund ICE.

The standoff revealed internal Republican concerns about negotiating leverage. Congressman Eric Burlison warned that Republicans faced only two weeks to negotiate and predicted they would ultimately concede to Democratic demands due to insufficient leverage. Senate Majority Leader John Thune cautioned that failure to reach agreement could result in a continuing resolution leaving reforms unaddressed for an entire year, affecting TSA, Border Patrol, and other agencies beyond immigration enforcement. Border Czar Tom Homan’s decision to withdraw 700 agents from Minneapolis and implement body camera requirements represented the only apparent concession achieved as of early February.

Senator Eric Schmitt Goes Nuclear on Dems Over ICE Funding, Immigration, and the SAVE Act
https://t.co/EdgVxsu5hM

— Townhall Updates (@TownhallUpdates) February 9, 2026

Schmitt positioned this as Republicans’ “home game,” declaring: “We need to be aggressive if they’re going to put forward these ridiculous proposals that put immigration enforcement and the individuals [in ICE] who have families in harm’s way.” The outcome will determine whether sanctuary cities can continue operating with federal subsidies while refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement—a fundamental question about federalism and the constitutional obligation to enforce immigration law uniformly across all jurisdictions.