WirePOLITICS: Donnelly calls on McGinty to oppose sanctuary cities

Tom Waring, the Wire

Bucks County Sheriff Ed “Duke” Donnelly was among 20 sheriffs and district attorneys from across the state who wrote to Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Katie McGinty, imploring her to join the calls on Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to end his strict sanctuary policy and work with President Barack Obama to track dangerous criminals who are in the country illegally.

McGinty is challenging Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

In the letter, it states that Obama’s Department of Homeland Security secretary, Jeh Johnson, visited Philadelphia to appeal to Kenney to reverse his city’s sanctuary policies.

Johnson asked that Kenney allow local law enforcement members in Philadelphia to work with federal immigration agents to identify violent criminals, gang members and suspected terrorists who are living in Philadelphia illegally. Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell oppose sanctuary cities and have called for greater cooperation between local and federal officials to protect Pennsylvania citizens.

“As the top law enforcement officers for the counties in which we serve, we are very concerned about Mayor Kenney’s lack of cooperation with federal officials. Philadelphia is our state’s largest city and tourist destination. Millions of our constituents visit Philadelphia each year to take in the sights, catch a ballgame, or see a show. Mayor Kenney’s sanctuary city policy threatens the security of all Pennsylvanians,” Donnelly and the others wrote.

“As law enforcement officers, we believe public safety supersedes any and all political matters. As a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, we hope you will use your influence to reach out to Mayor Kenney and join the bipartisan call for Mayor Kenney to end Philadelphia’s sanctuary city policy.”