Justice Department Statement
Issued on July 25, 2017
Policy Summary
On July 25th the Justice Department released a statement which says that it will withhold federal funding from Sanctuary Cities. Specifically, the DOJ stated that the federal government will withhold funding for the popular Justice Assistance Grant Program(JAG). The JAG grant program provides money for local police forces to buy everything from bullet proof vests to body cameras. In 2016 the program totaled $260 million dollars. Now in order for a city to be in compliance with the DOJ’s rules, it needs to both allow immigration authorities full access to its jails, and give them a 48-hour warning before releasing an undocumented citizen. Under the new rules, many major American cities are at risk of losing a substantial amount of funding for their police departments. For example, the New York Police Department could lose over $4 million dollars of federal funding. LEARN MORE
Analysis
Thankfully, it is very likely that these new rules will not be able to withstand legal challenges. To see why, one does not need to look any further than Trump’s previous attempt to withhold funding from Sanctuary Cities through an executive order in March. A federal judge in California blocked that order on the grounds that funding is under the jurisdiction of the legislative branch and not the executive. If these new rules are implemented public safety will be endangered due to both the decrease in funding for local law enforcement and the underreporting of crime among immigrant communities. LEARN MORE
Engagement Resources
- Take Action with United We Dream: United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation. They organize and advocate for the dignity and fair treatment of immigrant youth and families, regardless of immigration status.
- Get involved with the American Civil Liberties Union: The ACLU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose stated mission is “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United
- Find a Congressional Town Hall Meeting Near You: Search by town and state or zip code to find a congressional Town Hall scheduled near you. Voice your concerns about the Travel Ban and other Trump Administration policies directly to your Representative or Senator.
This brief was compiled by William Lucier. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief please contact william@usresistnews.org.
