A conservative legal group is putting “sanctuary” jurisdictions across the U.S. on notice ahead of an expected mass deportation by the incoming Trump administration.
America First Legal says it has notified nearly 250 officials in jurisdictions which limit or forbid local law enforcement cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that there could be legal consequences for interfering with the feds or for concealing illegal immigrants.
President-elect Trump has promised to launch a “historic” deportation campaign when in office, and his transition team has already been making concrete steps towards that goal. America First Legal’s president is Stephen Miller, who will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy in the Trump White House.
But a number of Democratic officials in states including in Arizona, Colorado, California and Massachusetts have said they will not cooperate with the operation. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has hinted there could be legal consequences for those who get in the way of the operation.
Proponents of sanctuary policies argue that local jurisdictions cannot be compelled to assist the government, and that barring ICE cooperation encourages otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants to work with police and report crimes, making the area safer.
Opponents say that policies result in the release of otherwise-deportable criminals back onto the streets.