He paired that hearing with the introduction of a bill aimed at holding sanctuary cities accountable.

“We heard gut-wrenching testimony from families who had loved ones killed by an illegal immigrant as a direct result of lax enforcement,” Grassley told reporters Wednesday.

His bill would withhold federal funding from jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with the federal government on “criminal aliens and other high-priority individuals.”

It also would increase the amount of time someone must spend in jail — from two years to five years — when the person is caught entering the country illegally after being previously deported.

Grassley described those kinds of steps as a common-sense approach that could attract bipartisan support.

The House also is set to vote today on its own legislation that would cut off funding to sanctuary cities, although some have questioned whether that bill is tough enough.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said he plans to support it even though he would like to see it do more to close loopholes. For example, he said jurisdictions can simply have their officers not gather any immigration-related information, thus having nothing to share with federal authorities.

King said that he plans to work on a package of tougher enforcement measures that he hopes the House can consider after the August recess.