01/30/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/30/2026 17:21
Graham: "I will lift my hold and vote for the package."
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after receiving a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) that he supports a vote on Graham's legislation to end sanctuary cities forever.
Graham was also informed that in addition to the ongoing bipartisan work on Arctic Frost, Leader Thune supports, at a time to be determined, a vote on Graham's amendment to give groups and private citizens - not members of Congress - who were harmed by the Biden DOJ's Arctic Frost investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith their day in court.
"I very much appreciate Leader Thune going to bat for the cause of ending the lawlessness and chaos created by sanctuary city policies, and allowing groups and private citizens harmed by Jack Smith to have their day in court.
"He just informed me that he is supportive of my efforts to have a vote on my bill to end sanctuary city policies once and for all, by making it a federal crime for state and local officials to willfully violate federal immigration laws. The American people overwhelmingly support ending sanctuary city policies. In my view, sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the problems we face. I also applaud President Trump for trying to lower the temperature, but not abandoning his efforts to clean up the Biden immigration fiasco.
"Leader Thune also supports, at a time to be determined, a vote on creating the ability for groups and private citizens, not members of Congress, that may have been harmed by Jack Smith and the Biden DOJ to have their day in court. There are over 430 Republican-aligned groups and individuals caught up in the Biden DOJ dragnet. Jack Smith and his team issued more than 190 subpoenas in service of a politically motivated investigation. There has to be a remedy to this miscarriage of justice, and I will continue to seek one.
"Again, thank you to Leader Thune and his team for getting to the right outcome.
"I will lift my hold and vote for the package."
Background on Graham's legislative efforts to end sanctuary city policies and provide justice to those harmed by Special Counsel Jack Smith:
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