Jeff Sessions Blasts Chicago's 'Culture Of Lawlessness' After Sanctuary-City Lawsuit Against DOJ
By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 8, 2017 2:50PM
Attorney General Jeff Sessions / Getty Images / Photo: Win McNamee
If didn't take long for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to fire back at Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city's lawsuit against the Department of Justice in protection of sanctuary cities, which represents the latest and most dramatic volley in the ongoing battle between Chicago and the Trump administration.
"No amount of federal taxpayer dollars will help a city that refuses to help its own residents." Sessions blasted on Monday, following the formal announcement of Chicago's lawsuit.
“The Mayor complains that the federal government’s focus on enforcing the law would require a ‘reordering of law enforcement practice in Chicago,' Sessions added in the statement. "But that’s just what Chicago needs: a recommitment to the rule of law and to policies that rollback the culture of lawlessness that has beset the city."
The City of Chicago is suing the DOJ over its threat last month to withhold Byrne Justice Assistance Grants from cities like Chicago, whose police departments do not question suspects about their immigration status or detain people in custody beyond their release date so that they can be handed over to federal immigration enforcement.
The money Chicago is expected to receive from those grants is small in the grand scheme of federal law enforcement funding: $3.2 million, which mostly goes toward new police vehicles.
The Trump administration in the past has looked to draw a link between Chicago's violent crime, undocumented immigration and sanctuary-city policies—although evidence does not suggest that is not the case. Immigrants are in fact less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens, according to a New York Times analysis. And as City Lab points out, a study published by the Center for American Progress found that sanctuary cities were safer and had better economic conditions than cities without sanctuary policies.
Sessions' full statement can be read below:
“No amount of federal taxpayer dollars will help a city that refuses to help its own residents.
“This administration is committed to the rule of law and to enforcing the laws established by Congress. To a degree perhaps unsurpassed by any other jurisdiction, the political leadership of Chicago has chosen deliberately and intentionally to adopt a policy that obstructs this country’s lawful immigration system. They have demonstrated an open hostility to enforcing laws designed to protect law enforcement — Federal, state, and local — and reduce crime, and instead have adopted an official policy of protecting criminal aliens who prey on their own residents. This is astounding given the unprecedented violent crime surge in Chicago, with the number of murders in 2016 surpassing both New York and Los Angeles combined. The city’s leaders cannot follow some laws and ignore others and reasonably expect this horrific situation to improve.
“The Mayor complains that the federal government’s focus on enforcing the law would require a ‘reordering of law enforcement practice in Chicago.’ But that’s just what Chicago needs: a recommitment to the rule of law and to policies that rollback the culture of lawlessness that has beset the city.
“This administration will not simply give away grant dollars to city governments that proudly violate the rule of law and protect criminal aliens at the expense of public safety. So it’s this simple: Comply with the law or forego taxpayer dollars."
This post has been updated.