Dangerous

Too many Pennsylvanians have fallen victim to crime or are at risk due to dangerous sanctuary city policies.

Just this week, federal law enforcement officers finally found Winston Enrique Perez Pilarte - an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic. In July 2015, Philadelphia police arrested the 40-year-old for raping a child. He had been convicted previously of drug trafficking, resisting arrest, and theft. In November 2015, he made bail. Federal law enforcement officers asked Philadelphia to hold him temporarily so they could pick him up and begin deportation proceedings. But the city refused to cooperate, and instead released this dangerous man back onto the streets of Philadelphia where he roamed free for an entire year until federal officials finally found him and took him into custody.

Unfortunately, dangerous illegal immigrants roaming the streets is nothing new for Philadelphia because the city is a "sanctuary city" - a jurisdiction that forbids their law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration officials. It is past time for Philadelphia to heed the calls of leaders across the political spectrum and end dangerous sanctuary city policies that allow violent criminals like Winston Enrique Perez Pilarte to avoid federal authorities.

My legislation, the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act, would withhold certain federal funds from sanctuary cities like Philadelphia until they rescind their dangerous policies. Despite the support of a bipartisan majority of my colleagues, the Senate failed to act on this critical safety measure in July.

I went to the Senate floor on Wednesday to call for action on my legislation. You can learn more about this critically important issue by watching my floor speech here.

We owe our veterans and active duty service men and women a debt of gratitude that we will never be able to repay. Moreover, this is an especially tough time of year for our active duty soldiers who are stationed overseas and will not be spending the holidays with their families.

One small way we can show our gratitude is to send them a "thank you" note. The Holidays for Heroes effort by The American Red Cross does just that. Americans across the country can send letters to the brave men and women overseas, and congressional lawmakers can do the same.

On Wednesday, I went to the Capitol to write a personal thank you note. While I was there I had the privilege of meeting SFC Elizabeth Howell from Gettysburg, Pa. You can learn more about Holidays for Heroes here, and watch a short video here.

There are many Korean War veterans in the commonwealth that bravely served our country. For more than half a century, many of these veterans have been unsung heroes. This is why I am honored to work with the Korean Consul General to help these veterans and their families finally get the credit and gratitude they are due.

To receive the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal, an eligible veteran must have served in Korea from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953 or have participated in U.N. peacekeeping operations until the end of 1955. Members of the U.S. Navy are also eligible if they had served aboard a naval vessel that was assigned to Korean waters during the 1950 to 1953 timeframe. It may also be awarded posthumously.

So far, I have helped more than 300 Korean War veterans or their families receive the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal. My office works tirelessly to assists our veterans living in Pennsylvania in any way possible and this is another great way to honor those who fought for our country.

Colonel Bob DeSousa, my state director, is pictured above with Korean War veterans after he presented the medals on Friday, November 18th in Berks County.

Arnold Palmer had deep roots in Western Pennsylvania, calling Latrobe home his entire life. Senator Bob Casey and I introduced a bipartisan resolution to honor the life and legacy of "The King," and I am glad to tell you it passed the Senate this week.

While he was famous for his golf career, Arnold was also renowned for his generosity, kindness, and commitment to his community. He once said "your hometown is not where you're from - it's who you are." He lived by that motto every day.

You can read the full text of the resolution here.