Jeff Sessions: DOJ to Start Enforcing Immigration Laws by Defunding Sanctuary Cities
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Monday that the Justice Department will start enforcing federal immigration laws by discontinuing the funding of sanctuary cities.
If the measure is fully implemented, it will result in the loss of federal money for cities that permit residents to be illegal immigrants, as Sessions stated that the Justice Department will avoid using its $4.1 billion in grant money to fund sanctuary cities. The attorney general added that the DOJ will even “claw back” funds from jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal immigration laws.
Sessions also stated:
“The Department of Justice will require that jurisdictions seeking or applying for DOJ grants to certify compliance with [U.S. Code 1373] as a condition of receiving those awards.”
U.S. Code 1373 is a law stating that localities cannot prevent the federal government from enforcing the nation’s laws on immigration. The law also regulates communications between local agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Sessions added:
“Countless Americans would be alive today … if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended.”
