There is a very sad story making headlines in Pennsylvania this week. A 45-year-old illegal immigrant has been charged with raping a child under the age of 13. To make matters worse, this offense would have been completely avoidable but not for Philadelphia’s sanctuary city status.
Senator Toomey has led the charge in pushing for Philadelphia to end this policy so heinous crimes like this are prevented – and Katie McGinty has attacked him for it.
Katie McGinty refuses to reject Philadelphia’s sanctuary city policy. When asked about the child’s rape this week McGinty’s campaign simply responded that she, “wants local and federal law endorsement to work together to stop dangerous criminals.”
But again…McGinty won’t reject the policy like her own campaign chairman Ed Rendell has. The Obama administration has even identified Philadelphia’s policy as one of the worst in the country and is actively trying to stop it.
What could possibly be more important to McGinty than protecting young children from rapists? What would Katie McGinty say to the family of this young child?
It’s time for Katie McGinty to recognize how extreme her policies are and protect the residents of Pennsylvania instead.In case you missed it:
After arrest of alleged child rapist, Toomey renews criticism of ‘sanctuary cities’
An unauthorized immigrant charged with raping a child in Philadelphia has renewed criticism of so-called "sanctuary cities," where local law enforcement officials ignore federal immigration orders.
Ramon Aguirre-Ochoa, a 45-year-old Honduran national, was arrested July 26 and charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related offenses. His arrest has increased the ire of "sanctuary city" opponents who say the policies leave criminals on the streets.
"This is one of the most heinous crimes that is possible to commit — committed against a young child," Sen. Pat Toomey said during a press conference Wednesday. "It should not have been possible — and it would not have been possible — but for the fact that Philadelphia is a sanctuary city."
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is requesting Philadelphia authorities turn Aguirre-Ochoa over to the agency following adjudication of local charges — just as it did last year following the dismissal of criminal charges filed against him in 2014.
But under the city’s sanctuary policy, Philadelphia authorities ignored the previous detainer lodged by ICE and released Aguirre-Ochoa in January 2015. Now, opponents of sanctuary cities once again are condemning the city’s policy as enabling criminals.
Few legislators have been louder in their opposition to sanctuary policies than Toomey, a Republican embroiled in a heated re-election campaign against Democrat Katie McGinty. He has rallied against such policies since an unauthorized immigrant killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco last summer.
On Wednesday, Toomey urged Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to repeal the sanctuary policy. And he again called on McGinty to do likewise.
"The center of this debate has now tragically shifted from San Francisco to Philadelphia," Toomey said. "From the story of Kate Steinle to the story of a child who was raped."
Despite Toomey’s persistent pleas, Philadelphia is unlikely to change its sanctuary policy anytime soon.
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Throughout the last year, Toomey repeatedly has decried sanctuary policies from both the campaign trail and the Senate floor. He has sponsored legislation that would strip federal grant funding from municipalities that perpetuate sanctuary policies.
McGinty has encouraged Kenney to reconsider Philadelphia’s sanctuary policies, but she has stopped short of outright rejecting them.
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