A Colorado congressman has introduced legislation that, if passed, will allow victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants to sue politicians in his state's sanctuary cities if their policies allowed the criminals to remain in the United States.
"I'm introducing this bill because we have a problem," said State Rep Dave Williams, R-District 15, told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program. "We have a problem in our state and particularly our country. This could be model legislation that will definitely hold these lawless politicians accountable for letting criminals loose on the streets."
Williams, the first Latino elected to the state legislature from his home district, said his bill, if passed, will "empower people, especially victims of sanctuary city policies to file civil and criminal complaints against these politicians who violate the rule of law and the public trust."
Democrats control Colorado's state House, but Williams said if his bill is defeated, he'll call on the state Senate president and others in the Republican-controlled Senate to pass the measure "so we can have ample opportunity to keep Colorado safe."
Williams said he has had the legislation in mind for several years, but believes President Donald Trump led the way for him to introduce it.
"This bill will actually get results," said Williams. "It will make politicians think twice before they allow criminals on the streets and put the well-being and safety of the American people below that of illegal aliens."
Williams said Democrats in his state plan to introduce legislation making all of Colorado a sanctuary state, and he finds that "unfortunate."
"We need to hold these guys accountable," the state representative said. "People like Kate Steinle's family from San Francisco, it would allow people like those victims to hold these guys accountable, sue them, and even put them in jail."
Steinle's family filed and lost a wrongful death lawsuit in San Francisco after the young woman was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, a repeat felon who had already been deported five times.
He was arrested shortly before killing her, but had been released because he city's "sanctuary law" kept him from being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.