Donald Trump Orders Crackdown On Sanctuary Cities: Milwaukee, Madison, Others Could Lose Federal Funding

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin cities Milwaukee, Madison and also Milwaukee County face the prospect of losing government funding for providing sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, under an executive order signed Wednesday by President Donald Trump.

The president’s order makes good on campaign promises to dismantle sanctuary cities by ending federal block grant funding.

Milwaukee County

Milwaukee County passed a resolution in 2012 that effectively establishes protections for area immigrants, and suggests broad discretion for local law enforcement.

The resolution states, "while the County Board recognizes that the Milwaukee County Sheriff has broad latitude to administer his oversight over inmate detentions, Milwaukee County may nonetheless adopt a policy regarding ICE detainer requests that respects and values the community contributions of Milwaukee County’s diverse population."

Madison

Madison is listed as a sanctuary city on a widely-circulated list, however according to a Madison Capitol Times report, Mayor Paul Soglin has said that's not the case. In 2010, the city council passed a resolution instructing police not to inform federal immigration officers about illegal immigrants - unless they are charged with violent crimes

What's a Sanctuary City and What's Next?

Sanctuary cities and counties are called that because they offer sanctuary to undocumented 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.

As part of his controversial immigration plan, President Trump appears to have made good on his promise of blocking federal funding to these cities within his first 100 days of taking office.

The 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 will be an order formally moving forward with Trump's campaign promise to build a wall on the Mexican border.'

"Build that wall!" was, perhaps, the most frequently chanted slogan at Trump's campaign rallies last year.

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.

The Plan

The sources who spoke with Patch were not sure what would be announced on Wednesday and what on Thursday.

The signing is expected to happen Wednesday when Trump visits the Department of Homeland Security for a 1:25 p.m. Eastern town hall meeting with employees.

Sources who spoke with Patch say that 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.

Written by Colin Miner (Patch Staff)
Photo via The White House