Is Donald Trump About to Go to War with Washington DC Over Immigration?

WASHINGTON, DC — Donald Trump plans to deport millions of immigrants around the country, but if he wants to send undocumented residents in D.C. packing, he'll have to go through Mayor Muriel Bowser first.

Bowser said in a statement issued Monday that she is "reaffirming the District's status as a sanctuary city," adding that despite the results on Election Day, she would oppose any of Trump's efforts to boot immigrants from the city.

"The values, laws, and policies of Washington, DC did not change on Election Day," she said. "We celebrate our diversity and respect all DC residents no matter their immigration status. We are a sanctuary city because we know that our neighborhoods are safer and stronger when no one is afraid to call on our government for help, and when our police can focus on protecting and serving."

Bowser joins numerous other mayors nationwide, include the mayors of New York and Chicago, in announcing that they would fight to preserve their status as sanctuary cities, protecting residents from deportation. Trump has threatened to withhold millions of dollars in funding from cities that don't cooperate with his plan.

The term "sanctuary city" refers to cities that don't cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That can include not notifying immigration officials if an undocumented immigrant will soon be released from custody, for example. Other cities has taken more extensive steps to protect immigrants, such as San Francisco, which has issued local ID cards to undocumented immigrants in order for them to access government services.

Image by Gage Skidmore