In the wake of ongoing reports of violence at the hands of illegal immigrants, sanctuary cities continue to bear the weight of criticism for harboring criminals who have been previously deported.
Those headlines have given fuel to the Republican-led House of Representatives to force the hand of cities in compliance with federal immigration enforcement.
With a mostly party-line vote in the House, a bill was approved last week to deny federal funding to cities that embrace sanctuary policies that skirt oversight and cooperation from federal immigration agents.
During committee testimony, it was revealed that Juan Lopez, the accused killer of Kathryn Steinle, had at least seven felony convictions and already had been deported five times.
The legislation specifically would end cooperative grants for law enforcement from the Department of Justice that help cities allay costs of detainment of illegal immigrants.
Reports show that the defunding could affect as many as 360 municipalities across the country who received in part or whole grants from the federal government.