Citing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials and internal agency emails, the Washington Post reports that the White House has been pushing a plan to start dumping undocumented immigrants in so-called "sanctuary cities" instead of housing them in federal facilities.
The White House apparently believes this would be a suitably punitive punishment for jurisdictions that don't seem to have a problem with the presence of immigrants.
Trump administration officials have proposed transporting detained immigrants to sanctuary cities at least twice in the past six months — once in November, as a migrant caravan approached the U.S. southern border, and again in February, amid a standoff with Democrats over funding for Trump’s border wall.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s district in San Francisco was among those the White House wanted to target, according to DHS officials. The administration also considered releasing detainees in other Democratic strongholds.
I understand that this would strain the resources of cities and local municipalities, and I appreciate that Democratic lawmakers are blasting the proposal, but I don't get it. This does not seem like much of a threat to me.
These cities are sanctuary cities for a reason. They're not afraid of immigrants. They're welcoming to immigrants. That's the whole idea. San Francisco specifically admits some of the highest numbers of immigrants in the country.
This is the kind laser-brained idea that only Trump would figure is a significant threat.
Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
....The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
I will punish them by making them very happy!
