Department of Justice Targets Sanctuary Cities
On November 15, the Department of Justice sent a letter to 29 sanctuary jurisdictions that received law enforcement grants under the Byrne/Justice Assistance Grants program in 2016, warning them that they appear to be in violation of federal law and may have to repay the funds. The letter also stated that those 29 sanctuary cities could be barred from receiving funds in 2017. These jurisdictions received more than $16.7 million last year, collectively.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch imposed rules in 2016, stating that all applicants for these grants must attest that they are in compliance with all federal laws, especially 8 USC 1373, which says that no state or local government can have a policy that in any way restricts communication or exchange of information about immigration status between local officials and federal immigration authorities.
Under Lynch, Department of Justice initiated an investigation into 10 sanctuary cities that received $96.1 million from two DOJ funding programs in 2016. New Attorney General Jeff Sessions continued the process of notifying the jurisdictions, allowing them time to change their policies, and determining if they still qualify for the grants.
Several of the sanctuary cities have filed lawsuits against DOJ. So far, three judges have ruled in favor of the sanctuaries, in northern California, Chicago, and Philadelphia. All of the judges found that, despite the sanctuaries’ claims that DOJ was overstepping its authority and attempting to illegally coerce them to cooperate, it was permissible for DOJ to withhold funds based on illegal sanctuary policies.
The following table lists the sanctuary jurisdictions that received warning letters and the amount of funding currently at risk.
List of Byrne/JAG Grants to Sanctuary Jurisdictions Receiving DOJ Warning Letters |
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Jurisdiction |
State |
2016 Byrne/JAG Grant |
Berkeley |
Calif. |
$37,509 |
City and County of San Francisco |
Calif. |
$522,943 |
City of Los Angeles |
Calif. |
$1,870,503 |
County of Santa Clara |
Calif. |
$72,612 |
Contra Costa County |
Calif. |
$194,562 |
Fremont |
Calif. |
$21,872 |
Monterey County |
Calif. |
$17,607 |
Riverside County |
Calif. |
$54,551 |
Sacramento County |
Calif. |
$241,650 |
Santa Ana |
Calif. |
$99,109 |
Sonoma County |
Calif. |
$48,287 |
Watsonville City |
Calif. |
$20,115 |
City and County of Denver/Denver Police |
Colo. |
$426,590 |
Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants |
D.C. |
$1,476,400 |
City of West Palm Beach |
Fla. |
$61,115 |
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority |
Ill. |
$6,742,363 |
Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government |
Ky. |
$598,104 |
Lawrence City |
Mass. |
$71,811 |
Jackson City |
Miss. |
$260,499 |
City of Newark Police Dept |
N.J. |
$525,446 |
Middlesex County |
N.J. |
$17,862 |
Bernalillo County |
N.M. |
$63,236 |
Albany – Dept of Public Safety |
N.Y. |
$65,738 |
Multnomah County |
Ore. |
$173,088 |
Oregon Criminal Justice Commission |
Ore. |
$2,080,047 |
City of Burlington |
Vt. |
$39,945 |
City of Seattle |
Wash. |
$673,166 |
King County |
Wash. |
$203,065 |
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