28 March 2017•Update: 28 March 2017
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities are jeopardizing the safety of the country, warning that federal funding is on the line.
"They make our nation less safe by putting dangerous criminals back on our streets," he told reporters at the White House. "I urge our nation’s states and cities to consider carefully the harm they are doing to their citizens by refusing to enforce our immigration laws, and to re-think these policies."
Sessions signaled that the Donald Trump administration would soon begin withholding federal grants from "sanctuary cities" unless they begin to cooperate with immigration officials, and that the Justice Department would take steps to "claw-back" any previously awarded funding.
The decision could see as much as $4.1 billion in grants withheld, according to reports.
The cities that could be affected include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and the nation's capital: Washington, D.C.
Sessions pointed to a set of crimes he said were carried out by those who were not deported after being convicted of a crime.
"DUIs, assaults, burglaries, drug crimes, gang rapes, crimes against children and murderers -- countless Americans would be alive today and countless loved ones would not be grieving today if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended," he said.
Trump has promised a crackdown on illegal immigration and signed an executive order shortly after assuming office to increase border security and deportations. He has frequently made mention of victims of crimes perpetrated by those living illegally in the country.
