DOJ Demands That 23 Jurisdictions Prove They're Not Immigrant Sanctuaries
The Department of Justice sent nearly two dozen letters Wednesday to cities and counties across the country—ranging from Jackson, Mississippi and West Palm Beach, Florida to the states of Illinois and Oregon—threatening to issue subpoenas if those jurisdictions don’t provide the DOJ with documents proving that they comply with the Trump administration’s anti-sanctuary city policies.
In July, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the DOJ would no longer provide certain grants (including the “Byrne JAG” grant) to jurisdictions that don’t give federal authorities access to immigration detention facilities. The letters were an unsubtle reminder to those jurisdictions that the DOJ won’t allocate funding to them should they refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement officials.