Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Monday that the Trump administration would cut off all funding to sanctuary cities and work to “claw back” funds from jurisdictions that choose to ignore federal immigration requirements.
“Failure to deport aliens who are convicted of criminal offenses puts whole communities at risk,” Sessions said during a rare appearance in the White House briefing room. “The vast majority of the American people support this common sense requirement.”
Sessions said cities that knowingly refuse to detain undocumented immigrants who are “known felons under federal detainer requests” will face consequences from the Department of Justice moving forward.
“Today, I am urging states and local jurisdictions to comply with these federal laws,” Sessions announced. “Moreover, the Department of Justice will require that jurisdictions seeking or applying for Department of Justice grants to certify compliance with [the immigration law] as a condition of receiving those awards.”
The attorney general cited guidance issued under the Obama administration about how law enforcement officials should handle undocumented immigrants with criminal histories in his description of the Trump administration’s priorities for deportations.
“Failure to remedy violations could result in withholding grants, termination of grants and disbarment or ineligibility for future grants,” Sessions said. “The Department of Justice will also take all lawful steps to claw back any funds awarded to a jurisdiction that willfully violates [the statute in question] 1373.
