There has been a flurry of activity since Donald J. Trump took the oath of office 102 days ago. From the bombings of the Syrian airport and the MOAB bomb in Afghanistan through immigration reform and a new Supreme Court Justice, each day brings a new revelation.
Now the Trump administration is moving beyond rhetoric in its effort to crack down on sanctuary cities that harbor criminal illegal aliens. New restrictions are on the horizon for those who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
The Justice Department announced Friday it is forcing nine communities to prove they are complying with an immigration law to continue receiving coveted law enforcement grant money. Losing such funds could cripple the budgets of some of America’s largest cities.
In a department letter, it stated its intent to crack down hard on locations its inspector general previously identified as having rules limiting the information that can be provided to federal immigration authorities. Will big city liberal mayors blink?
Among the cities identified included a number in California including Los Angeles and San Francisco. Also on the list were Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.
Mayors in New York, Chicago and San Francisco are among those who have already said they will ignore the federal government. But the letter clearly states that officials there must provide proof from an attorney that they are following the law.
Major urban centers are notorious for deficit spending. They rely heavily on the federal government’s subsidies to balance their budgets. Should the feds cut off funds due to the sanctuary city classification, more than likely the big city mayors would have to raise taxes on their residents.
It will be interesting to test the fortitude of these city dwellers and their dubious commitment as a whole to the idea of resisting the government over criminal illegal aliens facing federal charges. Is this more a challenge by a few ultra-liberal politicians and citizens, or something that will have the support of a majority of the taxpayers?
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has repeatedly threatened action on these large American cities. Will these mayors blink in the face of their communities being denied or stripped of federal grant money?
