US ‘sanctuary cities’ warned

Washington – Donald Trump’s attorney general warned US cities that turning a blind eye to illegal migrants could jeopardise billions of dollars in federal funding, as the administration doubled down on tough immigration policies.

Jeff Sessions demanded so-called “sanctuary cities” – from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles – do more to turn illegal immigrants over to the federal authorities for deportation.

“The Department of Justice has a duty to enforce our nation’s laws, including our immigration laws,” he said from the White House.

“Unfortunately, some states and cities have adopted policies designed to frustrate this enforcement of immigration laws.”

The Justice Department would work to claw back grants worth around $4.1 billion (about R53 billion) a year, he warned.

Sessions zeroed in on the issue of illegal immigrants who have been convicted or detained on suspicion of serious crimes.

He cited examples of those involved in “drug trafficking, hit and run, rape, sex offences against a child and even murder”.

Trump’s backers in the right-wing media often feature stories about Hispanic immigrants who have committed violent crimes while in the country illegally. –