Cities That Protect Lawbreakers Won’t Like What AG Jeff Sessions Just Said About Their Money

Defiant cities might soon bear the brunt of America’s displeasure with hiding and shielding illegal aliens from federal law enforcement.

The newly appointed Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice said the administration will try to withhold federal tax dollars from so-called sanctuary cites. From the Washington Times (emphasis added):

Speaking at the White House, Mr. Sessions said his department is preparing to dole out more than $4 billion in funds this year, but will try prevent any of it from going to sanctuaries.

“Countless Americans would be alive today … if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended,” Mr. Sessions said.

He said he’s carrying out a policy laid out by the Obama administration last year, which identified three grant programs — the COPS grants, Byrne grants and State Criminal Alien Assistance Program money — that already require sanctuary certification.

The Trump administration intends to enforce laws on the books, laws that transcend politics and personalities. Lawmakers who don’t like immigration enforcement laws to protect our borders can seek to change them the proper way, and that doesn’t include ignoring them or calling them xenophobic.

More than 100 cities and counties were identified last week in ICE’s inaugural public name-and-shame list of sanctuaries.

Some of the sanctuaries refuse all communication with ICE, saying they want no part of helping deport anyone. But other jurisdictions say they’re concerned about the legal implications of holding someone for ICE agents, and say federal agents’ requests aren’t good enough.

Sheriff David Clarke talked about cities ignoring federal detainers. He said this in reference to an adult illegal alien man who, along with a 17-year-old, raped a 14-year-old girl:

“The thing that really angers me was one of those guys was out awaiting a deportation hearing. That’s why I said these anti-detainer policies, we don’t need to change the law. We’re not asking local officials…to enforce immigration. They’re just asking them to honor a detainer — a lawful piece of paper that says hold on to this individual until we can get the deportation scheduled.”

By Jonathan McIntosh – Own work, CC BY 2.5, Link