Trump Signs Executive Orders To 'Build the Wall' And Crack Down On Sanctuary Cities

President Trump is cracking down on the more than 300 sanctuary cities that shield immigrants, signing an executive order Wednesday that would withhold federal funds to those local governments that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants. He signed the executive order during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security.

The order against sanctuary cities was expected to be one part of a series of executive orders on immigration issues that will be unveiled over a couple of days.

Before Trump signed the sanctuary city order, he signed an order formally moving forward with his campaign promise to build a wall on the Mexican border.

"This is border security," Trump said. "We've been talking about this from the beginning. This is going to bring it over the top. We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States.

"A nation without borders is not a nation. Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders."

The promise to "build a wall" was the most common refrain at Trump's campaign rallies last year. He would ask, "What are we going to do?" and the crowds would respond, "Build a wall." He would then ask, "Who's going to pay for it?" and they would respond, "Mexico."

The order calls for "the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border" of the United States. It does not say how the wall will be paid for.

Administration officials have said that the work on the wall could begin and that Mexico would be forced to pay for it down the road, though a mechanism for making that happen has not been spelled out.

"We will be in a form reimbursed by Mexico, which I've always said," Trump told ABC News on Wednesday.

Trump is also expected to impose visa restrictions for people from the Middle East and suspend the program that admits refugees into the United States.

Sanctuary cities and counties are called that because they offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants, refusing to turn them over to federal officials for deportation. Most sanctuary cities and counties have also passed laws preventing employees from even turning over information to immigration officials.

While it is the cities — such as Portland, Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Chicago — that tend to get the most notice, it is often counties, which usually run the jails, that have real power to protect immigrants.

The sanctuary cities-related order reinstates an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program known as Secure Communities, under which ICE would target undocumented immigrants.

The order also directs the State Department to take whatever steps necessary to make countries take undocumented immigrants back — including withholding visas to people from that country.

It also directs that federal funds be withheld from cities and counties that don't cooperate with immigration officials.

The order does not specify which funds will be withheld, saying only federal funds will be withheld except those required by law for law enforcement purposes.

Sources say 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.

Portland has been expecting the Trump administration to act against sanctuary cities. During the campaign, he often vowed that, if elected, he would move to cut funds going to these cities.

“For more than 150 years, Portland has been a destination for those wanting to apply their hard work to the purpose of creating a better life for themselves and their families," Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Wednesday. "My own family made the trek on the Oregon Trail. We are a city built on immigration.

“We are not going to run from that history. We will not be complicit in the deportation of our neighbors. Under my leadership as Mayor, the City of Portland will remain a welcoming, safe place for all people regardless of immigration status."

The message was similar in San Francisco.

"Our city is a sanctuary city and we are going to remain a sanctuary city," said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

Some questioned the wisdom of withholding funding to cities.

“It’s clear that effective policing requires trust between law enforcement and community members, and any action to remove essential funding from cities and counties choosing to not enforce certain federal immigration laws seriously threatens public safety,” said Sen. RonWyden, Democrat of Oregon.

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Trump doesn't even have the power to do what he did.

"The President lacks the constitutional authority to cut off funding to states and cities simply because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families," he said.

"I urge President Trump to revoke this Executive Order right away. If he does not, I will do everything in my power to fight it."

One possibility being considered would be to challenge the legality of the executive order in court.

Meanwhile, not everyone was opposed to the crackdown on sanctuary cities.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox News that he would remove any Texas sheriff from elected office if they failed to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

Photo via The White House