Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday reportedly escalated the Trump administration’s campaign against so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions,” delivering a pointed warning to dozens of state and local governments that she says are obstructing federal immigration enforcement.
“I just sent Sanctuary City letters to 32 mayors around the country and multiple governors saying, you better be abiding by our federal policies and with our federal law enforcement, because if you aren’t, we’re going to come after you,” Ms. Bondi told Fox News. “And they have, I think, a week to respond to me, so let’s see who responds and how they respond. It starts at the top, and our leaders have to support our law enforcement.”
The move follows an August 5 Justice Department release naming a list of jurisdictions it considers noncompliant with regulations designed to ensure cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration officials.
The department has long argued that failure to share information and honor detention requests creates dangerous gaps that allow criminal offenders to remain in the country illegally.
“For too long, so-called sanctuary jurisdiction policies have undermined this necessary cooperation and obstructed federal immigration enforcement, giving aliens cover to perpetrate crimes in our communities and evade the immigration consequences that federal law requires,” Ms. Bondi wrote in her letters to officials.
The letters warn that jurisdictions that continue to shield illegal immigrants from deportation could face legal action. “Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court,” Ms. Bondi said in a public post announcing the move.
Citing President Trump’s late-April executive order on immigration enforcement as the legal foundation for the effort, Ms. Bondi framed her initiative as part of a broader national effort to restore the rule of law and ensure public safety.
The Justice Department declined to release the full list of letter recipients in response to a media inquiry. However, the August 5 Justice Department statement named states, counties, and cities flagged for noncompliance.
States receiving letters include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Counties on the list include Baltimore County, Md.; Cook County, Ill.; San Diego County, Calif.; and San Francisco County, Calif.
Cities identified are Albuquerque, N.M.; Berkeley, Calif.; Boston; Chicago; Denver; the District of Columbia; East Lansing, Mich.; Hoboken, N.J.; Jersey City, N.J.; Los Angeles; New Orleans; New York City; Newark, N.J.; Paterson, N.J.; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; Rochester, N.Y.; Seattle; and San Francisco.
For the Trump administration and its allies, the crackdown is aimed at ensuring that immigration laws are not selectively enforced by local leaders who disagree with federal policy.
Supporters argue that sanctuary policies allow violent offenders to remain in the United States and reoffend, while critics accuse the federal government of targeting immigrant communities for political gain.
Ms. Bondi’s letters make plain that, at least for this administration, the federal government will challenge sanctuary jurisdictions in court if cooperation is not forthcoming.
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