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20Nov 2017

Department of Justice Targets Sanctuary Cities

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


 

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