AG Sessions announces measures to tackle sanctuary cities.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced a crackdown on sanctuary cities, with new measures to help enforce immigration laws and keep our communities safe. Cities that don't comply with new conditions, will lose large amounts of federal funding.
Specifically, in order to be eligible for Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne JAG grants), cities must:
1) Prove compliance with a federal statute showing they do not block law enforcement officers from sharing immigration status information with ICE.
2) Allow Department of Homeland Security officers, i.e. ICE agents, into any detention center.
3) Give DHS/ICE a 48 hour notice before releasing anyone for whom ICE requested a detainer.
AG Sessions said:
"So-called 'sanctuary cities' make all of us less safe because they undermine our laws and protect illegal aliens who have committed crimes. These policies also encourage illegal immigration and even human trafficking by perpetuating the lie that in certain cities, illegal aliens can live outside the law. This can have tragic consequences, like the ten deaths we saw in San Antonio this weekend.
As part of accomplishing the Department of Justice's top priority of reducing violent crime, we must encourage these 'sanctuary' jurisdictions to change their policies and partner with federal law enforcement to remove criminals.
From now on, the Department will only provide Byrne JAG grants to cities and states that comply with federal law, allow federal immigration access to detention facilities, and provide 48 hours notice before they release an illegal alien wanted by federal authorities.
This is consistent with long established cooperative principles among law enforcement agencies. This is what the American people should be able to expect from their cities and states, and these long overdue requirements will help us to take down MS-13 and other violent transnational gangs, and make our countries safer."
These new grant conditions apply for fiscal year 2017 (October 1st, 2016, to September 30th, 2017.)
Specifically, in order to be eligible for Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne JAG grants), cities must:
1) Prove compliance with a federal statute showing they do not block law enforcement officers from sharing immigration status information with ICE.
3) Give DHS/ICE a 48 hour notice before releasing anyone for whom ICE requested a detainer.
AG Sessions said:
"So-called 'sanctuary cities' make all of us less safe because they undermine our laws and protect illegal aliens who have committed crimes. These policies also encourage illegal immigration and even human trafficking by perpetuating the lie that in certain cities, illegal aliens can live outside the law. This can have tragic consequences, like the ten deaths we saw in San Antonio this weekend.
As part of accomplishing the Department of Justice's top priority of reducing violent crime, we must encourage these 'sanctuary' jurisdictions to change their policies and partner with federal law enforcement to remove criminals.
From now on, the Department will only provide Byrne JAG grants to cities and states that comply with federal law, allow federal immigration access to detention facilities, and provide 48 hours notice before they release an illegal alien wanted by federal authorities.
This is consistent with long established cooperative principles among law enforcement agencies. This is what the American people should be able to expect from their cities and states, and these long overdue requirements will help us to take down MS-13 and other violent transnational gangs, and make our countries safer."
These new grant conditions apply for fiscal year 2017 (October 1st, 2016, to September 30th, 2017.)
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