By Bill Parry
As the leaders of more than 30 sanctuary cities gathered in New York City Monday to discuss strategy in taking on the Trump administration, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was a surprise visitor to the White House briefing room. Sessions told the press corps that all cities seeking federal Department of Justice grants would have to comply with Immigration and Customs orders and that the administration would “claw back” monies already disbursed to those municipalities that refused to cooperate with ICE.
“I strongly urge our nation’s states and cities and counties to consider carefully the harm they are doing to their citizens by refusing to enforce our immigration laws,” Sessions said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio defiantly vowed to continue New York City’s sanctuary policies.
“President Trump’s latest threat changes nothing. We will remain a city welcoming of immigrants who have helped make our city the safest big city in the nation,” de Blasio said. “Any attempt to cut NYPD funding for the nation’s top terror target will be aggressively fought in court. We won’t back down from protecting New Yorkers from terror — or from an overzealous administration fixated on xenophobia and needless division.”
De Blasio wasn’t finished. During his weekly broadcast on NY1 he said the administration’s threat was simple posturing.
“Nothing specifically has happened. This was more saber-rattling today from the attorney general,” de Blasio said. “We believe the executive order is readily challengeable in court. It’s all words right now. If they actually act to take away our money, we’ll see them in court.”
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued legal guidelines for sanctuary jurisdictions in January, providing them with the legal tools to protect their immigrant communities. Earlier this month Scheiderman’s office updated the guidance in light of Trump’s executive orders and U.S. Department of Homeland Security memos, making clear the Trump administration’s policies don’t change local governments’ right to protect their immigrant communities.
“Despite what Attorney General Sessions implied this afternoon, state and local governments and law enforcement have broad authority under the Constitution to not participate in federal immigration enforcement,” Schneiderman said. “As my office’s legal guidance makes clear, President Trump lacks the constitutional authority to broadly cut off funding to states and cities just because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families. Public safety depends on trust between law enforcement and those who bravely serve; yet, again and again, President Trump’s draconian policies only serve to undercut that trust. My office will continue to ensure local governments have the tools they need to legally protect their immigrant communities — and we won’t stop fighting to beat back President Trump’s un-American immigration policies.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
