Justice Department Warns Cities On Immigration Enforcement

Calling New York "soft on crime," pointing out that murders in Chicago have "skyrocketed" and criticizing law enforcement in the Bay Area with seeming to be "more concerned with reassuring illegal immigrants" than cracking down on gang members, the Trump administration on Friday fired shots across the bows of nine jurisdictions — reminding them to enforce immigration law or risk losing federal money.

The nine jurisdictions — Las Vegas, New York, Miami-Dade, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Chicago and Cook County, IL., (they shared a grant), California, and New Orleans — all have declared themselves "sanctuary" areas to one degree or another.

What that generally means is that each jurisdiction has passed regulations limiting how much their law enforcement officials will cooperate with immigration agents.

"Many of these jurisdictions are also crumbling under the weight of illegal immigration and violent crime," the department said in a release that accompanied the letters, each of which was signed by Alan Hanson, the acting assistant attorney general for the Office of Justice Programs.

The release went on to call New York "soft on crime," talk about how murders in Chicago have "skyrocketed" and said that officials in the Bay Area seem "more concerned with reassuring illegal immigrants that the raid was unrelated to immigration than with warning other MS-13 members that they were next."

New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill blasted the letter and releasing, accusing the Justice Department of demonstrating "a willful disregard for the facts.

"New York City is experiencing a steady decline in overall crime that includes major reductions in murder and shootings. In fact, 2016 saw the fewest shootings ever in New York City history since record keeping began. Since 1993, murder has decreased 82%, shootings have decreased 81%, and overall crime has decreased 76%. These are the facts."

Hanson oversees the administration of the department's Byrne Law Enforcement Grant Program, which channels money to local jurisdictions. It is named for Edward Byrne, a murdered New York City police officer.

According to the Justice Department, the amount of grants ranged from Las Vegas, which received $11,537, to California, which received $10.4 million split among 128 jurisdictions.

The letters demand that each jurisdiction provide documentation along with "an official legal opinion" that they are complying with the terms of the grant.

In the case of Miami-Dade, the situation may be moot.

Miami-Dade mayor backed away from the sanctuary label some time ago.

A resolution passed by Miami-Dade Commissioners in February rejects any attempt to designate Miami-Dade as a "sanctuary jurisdiction," "sanctuary city" or "sanctuary county" and instructs the mayor to continue to comply with federal immigration detainer requests for people incarcerated at county facilities.

READ THE LETTERS

Paul Scicchitano contributed reporting to this story from Miami.

Jeff Sessions photo via Michael Thomas/Stringer/Getty Images News/Getty Images