SEATTLE \u2014 Politicians in New York, Seattle and other \u201csanctuary cities\u201d that protect immigrants who are in the U. S. illegally declared Wednesday they won\u2019t be intimidated by a move by President Donald Trump to cut off millions in federal funding to such communities.
Many cities vowed legal action, arguing that the threatened punishment would be unconstitutional. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh promised to let immigrants who feel threatened by the administration\u2019s actions take shelter in City Hall if necessary.
\u201cThis city will not be bullied by this administration,\u201d Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said, adding that he instructed city departments to rework their budgets to prepare for the possibility that federal dollars could be lost. \u201cWe believe we have the rule of law and the courts on our side.\u201d
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called Trump\u2019s executive orders on immigration mean-spirited and unnecessary. California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat, tweeted: \u201cSee you in court.\u201d
In New York, Trump\u2019s hometown, city officials said the administration\u2019s action could take away over $150 million in law enforcement funding mainly for counterterrorism efforts, protecting international missions and dignitaries and, arguably, safeguarding Trump Tower, city officials said.
\u201cHere in New York City and in cities across this nation, this order could in fact undermine public safety,\u201d Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference Wednesday evening \u2014 a concern echoed by District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser.
While there is no formal definition of the term \u201csanctuary city,\u201d it generally refers to jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration officials.
In some cases, these cities tell police not to inquire about the immigration status of those they encounter, or they decline requests from immigration officials to keep defendants in custody while they await deportation.
Others say they do cooperate with such \u201cdetainer\u201d requests as long as they\u2019re backed by court-issued warrants, but won\u2019t allow local officers to enforce federal immigration law.
Advocates say such noncooperation policies protect people who may not have exhausted their rights to apply for U. S. residency. They also say that crime victims and witnesses are more likely to cooperate with police if they are not afraid of being deported.
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to sacrifice any of our folks here in Providence,\u201d said Jorge Elorza, the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. \u201cMy job is to represent every single resident in the city of Providence, and we will continue to do that.\u201d
Supporters of a crackdown on sanctuary cities point to cases like the fatal shooting of Kate Steinle in 2015 on a San Francisco pier. A man who had been previously deported and had been released by local law enforcement was charged in her death.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the Trump administration is going to \u201cstrip federal grant money from the sanctuary states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants.\u201d
Trump signed an executive order that appeared more limited than that. It referred to withholding Justice Department and Homeland Security funds from only those jurisdictions that bar local officials from communicating with federal authorities about someone\u2019s immigration status.
Peter L. Markowitz, a professor at Cardozo Law School in New York, said such an attempt to cut off funding would face strong legal challenges.
\u201cThe Constitution prohibits the president from defunding jurisdictions that won\u2019t do his bidding,\u201d Markowitz said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing in federal law that requires localities or states to participate in federal immigration enforcement. Second, the Constitution grants Congress \u2014 not the president \u2014 the power to determine how federal dollars are spent.\u201d
In California, local law enforcement officials are barred from holding immigrants arrested on lesser crimes for deportation purposes.
More than 100 immigration rights advocates crowded on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, holding signs that said \u201cUndocumented & Unafraid\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t let hate Trump our values.\u201d
\u201cWhen we know that there is a violation of human rights here, this is where we excel,\u201d San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer said to cheers. \u201cThis is where we lead the nation and we say, \u2018We will not back down and we will stand up for what we believe is right.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\nSimilarity rank: 8.8\n<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 0<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n