Senator Marsha Blackburn is aiming to hold sanctuary states financially accountable with a new bill that would force them to reimburse the federal government for military deployments triggered by their refusal to enforce immigration laws.
Unveiled Wednesday, the State Accountability for Federal Deployment Costs Act would require states to pay back the Department of Defense if their noncompliance with federal immigration enforcement leads to civil unrest that requires a military response. The bill was introduced in response to last month’s violent anti-ICE riots in California, which forced President Donald Trump to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles.
“As lawless states like California obstruct the federal government’s work to enforce immigration law, American taxpayers in other states have been forced to foot the bill,” Blackburn said. “If a state refuses to do its job and forces the federal government to respond to unrest, they should pay for it.”
The legislation, which includes a companion bill in the House from Rep. Jody Arrington (R-TX), directly targets so-called sanctuary policies that prevent cooperation with ICE and other federal agencies. Arrington, who chairs the House Budget Committee, called those policies a “violation of the law” and said they put innocent communities at risk.
“It’s entirely unacceptable for states like California to expect taxpayers in Texas and Tennessee to pick up the tab for their lawlessness,” Arrington said.
Under the bill, if the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary determine that a state’s obstruction of immigration enforcement led to the need for federal military deployment, that state would be billed for all incurred costs — including troop travel, meals, and lodging. If payment isn’t made within 180 days, the president would be authorized to revoke discretionary federal grants to the state.
The recent deployment to Los Angeles is estimated to have cost at least $130 million, and federal officials say the situation could have been avoided if California authorities had cooperated with ICE operations targeting violent illegal aliens.
The Pentagon began withdrawing troops this week, though roughly 2,000 National Guard members remain in the city to protect federal property and personnel from continued unrest.
Blackburn’s bill is one of the clearest signs yet that the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers are preparing to go on offense against sanctuary states, particularly as the border crisis continues to dominate national politics.