Trump Threatens To Dump Immigrants In California Sanctuary Cities

LOS ANGELES, CA — After President Donald Trump threatened to funnel undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco Friday despite disavowals by his own White House and Department of Homeland Security, communities across California were left to wonder just how seriously to take the president.

The Golden State’s most vocal leaders opted not to lose sleep over it, noting the president has a penchant for making threats against California without follow-through.

The plot to “dump” undocumented immigrants into the home turfs of political adversaries was first reported by The Washington Post Thursday, and the White House issued a statement confirming that the idea was considered but ultimately rejected. White House aides on Thursday told the New York Times the proposal was a “suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion.”

However, Trump quickly muddied the water, tweeting, “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....The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!”

According to the Post, Trump specifically wanted to send immigration detainees the San Francisco district of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. White House officials reportedly asked Immigration and Customs officials if immigrant detainees could be bussed to sanctuary cities, but the agency concluded that such a move would be illegal. The plan was designed to conserve jail space and to "send a message to Democrats," the Washington Post reported.

“The extent of this administration’s cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated,” Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne said. “Using human beings — including little children — as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable and, in some cases, criminal.”

The speaker herself weighed in, noting, “It’s just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespect for the challenges that we face as a country, as a people, to address who we are as a nation of immigrants.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti didn’t mince words either Friday. "The Trump Administration's latest hateful idea is nothing more than a needless distraction and a waste of time,” he tweeted. “We need real solutions that uphold our values - - not disgraceful policies that demonize immigrants and will never become reality."

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a resolution in February declaring Los Angeles a "city of sanctuary" for immigrants, although it is non-binding and did not change any city laws.

While there is no legal definition of a sanctuary city, it generally applies to municipalities that limit cooperation with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. Embracing the term has become a way for cities to defy Trump, who has tried to cut off some federal funding to sanctuary cities.

The Los Angeles Police Department has had a longstanding policy of not initiating contact with individuals based solely on their immigration status and does not give immigration agents access to its jails or inmates unless they have a federal warrant. Because of those policies, Los Angeles has often been referred to as a sanctuary city, although until February it never officially embraced the term as other cities have, such as San Francisco and Santa Ana.

The Los Angeles resolution reaffirmed the city's position that enforcement of federal immigration law is a function solely delegated to Congress by the U.S. Constitution, and any local resources used to enforce federal immigration law would be unconstitutional. It also says that Los Angeles is a "city of sanctuary, protecting the human rights of all our residents."

The president has become increasingly vocal with his frustration at the border as immigration surged to a 12-year high last month, and the president pressured Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen to resign.

City News Service contributed to this report.