Congressman Bob Dold hosted Democratic colleague Luis Gutierrez in the 10th CD Saturday
CHICAGO - Congressman Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) said he was delighted to link up with Republican Congressman Bob Dold (IL-10) to discuss their common ground on immigration issues in a town hall forum Saturday.
"Thanks @RepDold for proving not all Republicans share Trump’s views and want to demonize our community," Gutierrez tweeted from the forum.
Dold made a public statement about sanctuary cities earlier in the week, explaining why he was one of five Republicans nationwide that opposed defunding sanctuary cities - H.R. 3009.
"America must be a nation that welcomes immigrants, but we must also be clear that there should be no sanctuary for felons or individuals with a significant criminal history. These types of dangerous individuals must not be shielded from deportation, which is one of the many reasons we are long overdue for serious reforms," Dold said.
H.R. 3009 was inspired by Kate Steinle’s tragic death, but cutting funding for local law enforcement would not have prevented this horrible crime, Dold said.
"We need to focus on reforms that will actually make our country and our community safer, including working to secure our borders and improving methods of preventing people from overstaying their visas. Instead of tackling these important issues, H.R. 3009 hurts local law enforcement efforts, and by doing so, makes our communities less safe."
Dold urged the Congressional Republican majority to "stop dodging the difficult issues and do the real, bipartisan problem solving needed" to move America forward.
"I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass sensible immigration reform that includes provisions to strengthen our border, restore the rule of law and make all our communities safer.”
Except for Dold, Illinois' congressional delegation voted along party lines - with Republicans supporting H.R. 3009 and Democrats opposing it.
