Toomey, McGinty tangle over Philly’s ‘sanctuary city’ policy

Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey injected immigration policies into his re-election campaign, taking a shot at Philadelphia’s “sanctuary city” status and his Democratic opponent Katie McGinty for supporting what he called a dangerous and extreme practice.

Toomey’s attack Monday on the refusal of police in the nation’s fifth-largest city to cooperate with federal immigration authorities brought a swift response from McGinty. Her campaign accused Toomey of making the “immigration crisis” worse by opposing comprehensive immigration legislation and embracing Donald Trump’s “hateful” policies.

After Toomey’s news conference in Philadelphia, his campaign released a radio ad criticizing McGinty on the issue. Toomey’s also pointing out that he’s in line with President Barack Obama.

Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration says sanctuary cities are possibly safer than those that do cooperate with immigration authorities.