--- title: Jeff Sessions Warns Sanctuary Cities Over Immigration description: Sessions is warning sanctuary cities to prove they comply with immigration law or risk losing federal grant money canonical: https://time.com/4750977/jeff-sessions-sanctuary-cities-immigration/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-21T19:45:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T22:08:33.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Jeff Sessions Warns Sanctuary Cities Over Immigration Policies og:description: Sessions is warning sanctuary cities to prove they comply with immigration law or risk losing federal grant money og:url: https://time.com/4750977/jeff-sessions-sanctuary-cities-immigration/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79dd3be7c0b1651d/6988c3fafb4eac251a891a48/gettyimages-669815520.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: AG Jeff Sessions Holds A Meeting On Transnational Organized Crime og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jeff Sessions Warns Sanctuary Cities Over Immigration Policies twitter:description: Sessions is warning sanctuary cities to prove they comply with immigration law or risk losing federal grant money twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79dd3be7c0b1651d/6988c3fafb4eac251a891a48/gettyimages-669815520.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jeff Sessions Warns Sanctuary Cities: Comply With Immigration Law or Lose Federal Money > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: President Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Visa Program [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Visa Program](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JrsFiHzI.m3u8) (3:20)  _Published 2017-04-18. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that will make changes to a temporary visa program that brings workers to the United States for high-skilled jobs._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Updated: Dec 14, 2023 10:08 PM UTCPublished: Apr 21, 2017 7:45 PM UTC  US Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks about organized gang violence at the Department of Justice, April 18, 2016 in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images US Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks about organized gang violence at the Department of Justice, April 18, 2016 in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images Mark Wilson—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Updated: Dec 14, 2023 10:08 PM UTCPublished: Apr 21, 2017 7:45 PM UTC The Justice Department sent [warning letters](https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/959431/download) to officials in eight jurisdictions on Friday, warning each to prove they are complying with federal immigration laws or risk losing of federal grant funding. Officials in Chicago, New York, New Orleans, the California Department of Corrections, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, and Miami all received letters. Justice said each had been identified in a 2016 inspector general report as having laws that may violate federal law. [The letters](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-sends-letter-nine-jurisdictions-requiring-proof-compliance-8-usc-1373) were reportedly sent to “remind” officials that they agreed to prove they do not restrict their local officials from sending federal immigration officials any information about the immigration status of any individuals under their purview under the [Byrne Justice Assistance Grant](https://www.bja.gov/jag/). The Justice Department wants documents proving each is following immigration law by June 30\. The grant is “leading source of federal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions,” according to Justice Department officials, and can be used to help reduce gun violence or to fund body camera programs. The letters follow a warning Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued at the White House in March when he threatened to “[claw back](http://www.npr.org/2017/03/27/521680263/attorney-general-orders-crackdown-on-sanctuary-cities-threatens-holding-funds)” federal grant funding for so-called sanctuary cities, or areas where local officials limit their interactions with immigration enforcement. Officials in sanctuary cities often refuse to detain undocumented immigrants simply because they are in the country illegally. The Trump administration as a whole has taken a hard-line stance on immigration, calling for the speedy removal of criminals while also broadening the levels of crime that could subject someone to deportation. Attorney General Sessions has taken particular aim at sanctuary policies, saying they are linked to spikes in crime and threaten public safety. In a statement on Friday, the Department of Justice said many of the jurisdictions they sent letters to are “crumbling under the weight of illegal immigration and violent crime.” “The number of murders in Chicago has skyrocketed, rising more than 50 percent from the 2015 levels,” the statement continues. “New York City continues to see gang murder after gang murder, the predictable consequence of the city’s ‘soft on crime’ stance.” New York City has, in fact, seen a historic reduction in crime, according to the NYPD. Nisha Agarwal, commissioner in the New York Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs called the Justice Department’s notion that New York is unsafe and that its safety has anything to do with immigration policy “outright false” during a conference call on Friday. Ultimately what they’re doing is conflating immigrants with criminality,”she said.” Agarwal accused the administration of being engaged in a lot of “saber rattling,” but says the city is ready to respond to the letter and prepared to take unspecified legal action if it comes to that. According to the [New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/us/politics/sanctuary-city-justice-department.html?%5Fr=0), the city received a $4.3 million federal grant in 2016\. Officials in Chicago have already said they would hold firm against Sessions’ threats. In a statement to the [Chicago _Sun-Times_](http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/ag-sessions-feds-could-claw-back-funds-for-sanctuary-cities/) in March, a spokesman for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said, “let’s be clear that we cooperate with other government entities to the extent required and permitted by applicable law.” In an emailed statement to TIME, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the state has the right to “determine how it will provide for the safety and general welfare of its residents and to safeguard their constitutional rights.” “Fear mongering and falsehoods will not intimidate our state into compromising our values,” he said. “Federal threats to take away resources from law enforcement or our people in an attempt to bully states and localities into carrying out the new administration’s unsound deportation plan are reckless and jeopardize public safety.” ## Transcript In just a few moments, I will be signing a buy American and hire American executive order. You haven't heard about that in a long time in this country. With this action, we are sending a powerful signal to the world, we're going to defend our workers, protect our jobs, and finally Put America first. Right now, widespread abuse in our immigration system is allowed American workers of all backgrounds to be replaced by workers brought in from other countries to fill the same job for sometimes less pay. This will stop American workers have long call for reforms to end these visa abuses and today, their calls are being answered for the first time. That includes taking the first steps to set in motion a long overdue reform of H- 1B visa. We're also going to standup for our dairy farmers in Wisconsin. [ APPLAUSE ] And I've been reading about it, and I've been talking about it for a long time. And that demands really, immediately, fair trade. With all of our trading partners and that includes Canada. [ APPLAUSE ] Because in Canada some very unfair things have happened to our dairy farmers and others and we are gonna start working on that with [ UNKNOWN ]. And with Paul with all of your representatives what happened to you is very, very unfair, it's another typical on- sided deal against the United states and it's not gonna be happening for long so, Scott you and Ron and myself, and Paul and everybody else we're gonna get together  And we're gonna call Canada and we're gonna say what happened? And they might give us an answer, but we're gonna get the solution not just the answer, okay. Because we know what the solution is, all right. [ APPLAUSE ] The fact is NAFTA has been a disaster for the United States, a complete and total Disaster. We're gonna do some things. We have all sorts of rules and regulations that are horrendous. Like we wanted to start negotiating with Mexico immediately and we have these provisions where you have to wait long periods of time. You have to notify congress and after you notify congress You have to get certified and then you can't speak to him for 100 days. The whole thing is ridiculous. NAFTA's been very, very bad for our country. It's been very, very bad for our companies and for our workers. And we're gonna make some very big changes or we are going to get rid of NAFTA for once and for all. It cannot continue like this believe me. This is a tremendous honor for me knowing. [ INAUDIBLE ] Who gets the pen? 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