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Trump attorney general demands cities get tough on migrants

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s attorney general warned cities in the United States that turning a blind eye to illegal migrants could jeopardise billions in federal funding, as the administration doubled down on tough immigration policies Monday (March 27).

Attorney General Jeff Sessions (right), accompanied by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, at the daily press briefing at the White House on March 27. Photo: AP

Attorney General Jeff Sessions (right), accompanied by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, at the daily press briefing at the White House on March 27. Photo: AP

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WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s attorney general warned cities in the United States that turning a blind eye to illegal migrants could jeopardise billions in federal funding, as the administration doubled down on tough immigration policies Monday (March 27).

Mr Jeff Sessions demanded so-called “sanctuary cities” — from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles — do more to turn illegal immigrants over to the federal authorities for deportation.

“The Department of Justice has a duty to enforce our nation’s laws, including our immigration laws,” he said from the White House.

“Unfortunately, some states and cities have adopted policies designed to frustrate this enforcement of immigration laws.”

The Justice Department would work to claw back grants worth around US$4.1 billion (S$5.71 billion) a year, he warned.

The 70-year-old former senator zeroed in on the issue of illegal immigrants who have been convicted or detained on suspicion of serious crimes.

He cited examples of those involved in “drug trafficking, hit and run, rape, sex offenses against a child and even murder.”

Mr Trump’s backers in the right-wing media often feature stories about Hispanic immigrants who have committed violent crimes while in the country illegally.

“Assaults, burglaries, drug crimes, gang rapes, crimes against children and murderers,” Mr Sessions said. “Countless Americans would be alive today and countless loved ones would not be grieving today if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended.”

“These policies endanger lives of every American,” he added.

The Trump administration is trying to force local police to keep immigrants detained until the immigration authorities can show up.

However, immigrant advocacy groups, civil rights organisations and Democrats sharply denounced Mr Trump’s latest effort to highlight his tough stance, accusing it of creating a climate of fear, and falsely associating immigrants with criminality.

They point to multiple studies that show immigrants commit crime at lower rates than native-born citizens.

Mr Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, called the announcement an effort to “bully” immigrant families.

“It’s simply outrageous that the Trump administration and their ICE agents are putting politics and scapegoating of immigrants ahead of public safety and the ability of local communities to decide how best to keep their communities safe,” said Mr Frank Sharry, the executive director of America’s Voice Education Fund.

Mr Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general, called Trump’s approach “draconian”. “Despite what Attorney General Sessions implied this afternoon, state and local governments and law enforcement have broad authority under the Constitution to not participate in federal immigration enforcement,” he said.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights accused Mr Sessions of trying to “create a police state” where local law enforcement “are acting at the behest of the federal government to round up immigrants in communities across the country”.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement that the “latest threat” from the Trump administration “changes nothing” in New York. “Any attempt to cut NYPD funding for the nation’s top terror target will be aggressively fought in court,” he said.

While Mr Sessions acknowledged on Monday that what he was discussing was essentially a continuation of the Obama-era policy, he suggested that it could be a first step to imposing more stringent requirements on federal money in the future.

“We believe that grants in the future could be issued that have additional requirements, as every grant that’s being issued in America today usually has requirements that if you qualify for this grant, you have to meet certain requirements,” he said. “So we’ll be looking at that in the future, and we’ll continue to pursue it.”

Some local law enforcement officials in cities with large migrant populations warn that such a policy would poison community relations. In January, police chiefs from major cities stressed they wanted to tackle crime, whoever carries it out.

“Cities that aim to build trusting and supportive relations with immigrant communities should not be punished because this is essential to reducing crime and helping victims,” the group said in a joint statement with mayors.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti gave an equally strident response, accusing Mr Sessions of trying to push local authorities into unconstitutional actions.

“LA’s values are not for sale,” he said. “There are constitutional protections against the kind of punitive, counterproductive actions proposed today by the attorney general.”

“Slashing funds for first responders, for our port and airport, for counterterrorism, crime fighting and community building serves no one — not this city, not the federal government, not the American people.”

The debate is unlikely to be resolved soon, with many legal issues expected to be taken up in the courts.

Legal experts question whether immigration offenses should be treated as criminal acts or whether so-called detainer orders from the federal authorities provide legal grounds for local detention. AGENCIES

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