Massachusetts Cities Targeted by Trump 'Sanctuary City' Crackdown

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a promised executive order cracking down on the more than 300 sanctuary cities across the country – including Massachusetts communities like Somerville, Cambridge and potentially Boston. Details of the order are sparse to far, but it includes withholding federal funds to local governments except those mandated by law for law enforcement, according to the text of Trump's executive order.

Somerville and neighboring Cambridge have been sanctuary cities since the 1980s, and officials have been vocal about remaining safe havens for undocumented immigrants amid the president's threats to withhold federal funding from municipalities that shield immigrants.

At a press conference Wednesday, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said the city would stand firm in light of the president's executive order.

"Our city, Somerville, Massachusetts, will not waiver," Curtatone said. "Somerville will stand with you regardless of your race, creed, color, gender, nationality, legal status, religion, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation. And Somerville will remain a sanctuary city. We will not turn our back on our neighbors. Our diversity is our strength."

In a statement last year, Curtatone said the city receives about $6 million in recurring federal funds, but said Wednesday that number could be as high as $12 million in annual funds.

SEE ALSO: • Trump Signs 'Sanctuary City' Crackdown; Cambridge in the Crosshairs

• Somerville Mayor Addresses Trump 'Sanctuary City' Crackdown

• Could Trump's 'Sanctuary City' Executive Order Target Boston?

• Arlington Police Chief: 'No Agency, Policy or President Would Change Our Philosophical Approach to Policing'

Meanwhile in Cambridge, the mayor and city manager issued a joint statement last year saying such a federal directive would not change the city's status.

"The city of Cambridge wants to clearly state to our community that it is committed to supporting and promoting the safety, health, and well-being of all of its residents," stated Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons and newly official City Manager Louis A. DePasquale said in November. "As a Sanctuary City, Cambridge affirms the basic human rights and dignity of every human being and provides education, health and other services to all residents of Cambridge, regardless of their immigration status."

Sanctuary cities and counties are called that because they refuse to turn undocumented immigrants over to federal officials for deportation. Problematically for local officials, the term does not have a hard and fast legal definition. They are left looking instead to possible precedents, such as a bill proposed by Republicans during the last congressional session. The language in that bill carried a broad definition of "sanctuary city" that swept in even municipalities that do not explicitly identify themselves as such.

In Massachusetts, whatever definition is put forth through Trump's executive action will almost definitely include self-described sanctuaries such as Cambridge and Somerville, and will likely also sweep cities like Boston into the mix, too.

Boston passed the Trust Act in 2014, which removes local officers' obligation to participate in the federal government's immigration detainment program. That program gives Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials the authority to ask local law enforcement to hold people in custody up to 48 hours, even if they post bail.

The Boston Globe previously reported that the city annually receives around $250 million in federal funding. Nonetheless, Mayor Marty Walsh has shown no signs of backing down on the city's support for and policy toward its immigrant population.

"We don't just welcome immigrants in Boston, we help them thrive, and we won't retreat an inch," Walsh said in his State of the City address earlier this month.

Other Bay State municipalities like Amherst, Chelsea, Northampton and Orleans have enacted sanctuary city policies or related legislation, according to Ohio Jobs and Justice PAC.

"Strong, independently-governed communities are part of what makes Massachusetts great," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. "The President’s executive order is an irresponsible attempt to coerce our communities into conducting his mass deportations, and would impact all residents by stripping federal funding for roads, schools, police, health care, the elderly, and assistance for those in need. My office will be watching closely and I will be ready to stand with our cities and towns in the coming days."

Sources tell Patch the most likely target of funding would be the various grants given to local governments through the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

The two departments administer billions in grants — many of which go to law enforcement agencies in the more than 300 cities and counties that have declared themselves sanctuary cities.

These range from Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative, which helps cities prepare for acts of terrorism, to the Edward Byrne Grant Program, which was named for a New York City Police Officer killed in the line of duty and provides funding for a range of programs including crime victim assistance, drug patrols and drug treatment.

Trump's action against sanctuary municipalities is expected to be one part of a series of executive orders on immigration issues that will be unveiled over a couple of days - the most notable of which was a second order formally moving forward with his campaign promise to build a wall on the Mexican border.

Alison Bauter and Colin Miner contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump delivers his law-and-order speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (photo by Rick Uldricks)