UPDATE: Chicago Files Lawsuit to Fight DOJ Sanctuary City Threats
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UPDATE - January 5, 2017: The Justice Department has asked an Illinois federal judge to dismiss a Chicago lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's attempt to withhold grants from so-called sanctuary cities.
As the AP explained, "The department's 26-page motion filed Wednesday says Chicago has no legal grounds for insisting on its 'entitlement' to federal grants while simultaneously refusing to provide what the filing calls 'basic cooperation in immigration enforcement.'"
Countable's original story appears below.
What's the story?
The Trump Administration has threatened it will withhold funds from so-called sanctuary cities and, on Monday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Law Department filed a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department over its attempt to limit those funds.
The DOJ has said it will bar cities from receiving Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants if the cities do not cooperate with immigration agents and meet three conditions. These conditions, as explained by the Chicago Tribune, are "sharing immigration status information with federal officials enforcing deportation laws, providing unlimited police station access to those officials, and giving the officials 48-hours notice of an arrested person’s release in cases of potential immigration violations."
Why does it matter?
The policy would affect cities beyond Chicago, including New York, Miami, Boston, Houston and 37 other jurisdictions. The grants provide funding for equipment and law enforcement training. If the DOJ withholds funds, Chicago is set to lose $3.2 million worth of funding.
Trump campaigned on a hard-line immigration policy, which included building a border wall with Mexico and deporting the "bad hombres." Upon being elected, he issued a number of immigration-based executive orders aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants. And in late June, the President met with victims of immigration crime, whom he told, “You lost people that you love because our government refused to enforce our nation's immigration laws and that's including the existing immigration laws.”
According to statisticsby the Justice Department, immigration offenses account for half of all federal arrests.
In a news conference about the lawsuit, Emanuel said, "Chicago will not let our police officers become political pawns in a debate. Chicago will not let our residents have their fundamental rights isolated and violated. And Chicago will never relinquish our status as a welcoming city."
The Justice Department specifically mentioned the mayor in its response.
"In 2016, more Chicagoans were murdered than in New York City and Los Angeles combined," Sarah Isgur Flores, a DOJ spokeswoman, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “So it’s especially tragic that the mayor is less concerned with that staggering figure than he is in spending time and taxpayer money protecting criminal aliens and putting Chicago’s law enforcement at greater risk.”
While Chicago was the first city to file suit, other cities are considering similar legal action, including the Attorney General of California, which has declared itself a "sanctuary state."
"The city of Chicago may be the first to bring a lawsuit," Emanuel said, “but I’m also confident we will not be the last.”
Should the DOJ withhold funds from "sanctuary cities"? Or should cities stand up to the Trump administration on this matter? Are you concerned about illegal immigrants? Hit the Take Action button and let your reps know.
—Josh Herman
(Photo Credit: Daniel X. O'Neil / Creative Commons)
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