Sessions Warns Chicago It Has Until October 27 To Drop Its Sanctuary-City Policy
By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 12, 2017 7:38PM
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at a ceremony in memory of the 9/11 attacks (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
The Department of Justice has just launched another salvo against Chicago in its crusade against sanctuary-city cities. The DOJ sent letters to five jurisdictions, including Chicago and Cook County, warning that local officials need to send evidence by Oct. 27 that shows they are cooperating with the Trump administration's demands in terms of increasing cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigrant agents.
Letters were sent to Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle stating that their receipt of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants for fiscal year 2016 requires them to comply with Section 1373—which states jurisdictions “may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual."
"Jurisdictions that adopt so-called 'sanctuary policies' also adopt the view that the protection of criminal aliens is more important than the protection of law-abiding citizens and of the rule of law," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a release.
"We urge jurisdictions to not only comply with Section 1373 but to establish sensible and effective partnerships to properly process criminal aliens," he added.
The DOJ said it was the "last chance" for jurisdictions to comply. The Department also sent letters to officials in New Orleans, New York City and Philadelphia.
Sessions—who has blamed Chicago's crime on its sanctuary-city status—announced in July that in order to receive Byrne Grants, local law enforcement would be required to give the federal government a 48-hour notice window prior to releasing an arrestee suspected of being an undocumented immigrant. Chicago filed suit the next month, arguing that withholding the funds on such a basis was unconstitutional. A judge sided with Chicago, calling the DOJ’s maneuver an “unprecedented seizure of power," and granted a nationwide injunction on Sessions' guidelines. The Trump administration is appealing the ruling.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as expected, pushed back against the DOJ's move on Thursday, calling the administration's guidelines a "false choice" that "pits... the philosophy of community policing and the principles of being a welcoming city," according to Sun-Times.