With help from Congress, Donald Trump will soon have the Presidential authority he needs to start cracking down on so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ that try to protect undocumented immigrants from his plan to deport millions from the US. Trump will have an array of powerful options to choose from in conflicts with local governments. These include the power to block cities and states from receiving much-needed federal grants as well as federal lawsuits.
The Center for Immigration Studies policy director, Jessica Vaughn, says the Trump administration will be able to achieve its desired results by using a combination of the old ‘carrots and stick’ method to end most of the sanctuary city policies. Vaughn, who has served as an advisor on immigration enforcement options for the incoming Trump administration, says that the point is to get small counties and cities to follow the law and confront die-hards that refuse to cooperate.
Local communities, though, are determined to fight any attempts by Trump to change their policies. Rahm Emanuel, the Mayor of Chicago, says that Chicago will remain a sanctuary city, and has pledged $1 million toward a legal defense fund for undocumented immigrants and a task force to help them.
Many cities, such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, proudly enact policies to prevent residents from being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement by municipal employees, while others simply restrict police from making inquiries about immigration status.