Justice Department puts funding restrictions on sanctuary cities

[alp227]

Source: Mercury News

The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday it will withhold law enforcement grant money from cities that refuse to give federal immigration authorities access to their jails, intensifying a months-long feud between the federal government and so-called sanctuary cities.

The new conditions Attorney General Jeff Sessions unrolled would also require local jails to notify immigration authorities when an inmate who is facing deportation is released from local custody.

The move drew immediate condemnation from Bay Area immigrant-rights advocates.

“We expected it, that’s been the threat all along,” said Maricela Gutierrez, executive director of the San Jose-based immigrant rights organization, SIREN. “The fight continues. We know that the federal government is not really standing on solid ground. We know that the force of our community will continue to push back on anything that impacts our immigrant families.”

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/25/justice-department-puts-funding-restrictions-on-sanctuary-cities/

[marybourg]

1. Is this that same "liberal Justice Department, packed

98.9% with Hillary donors" that Newt Gingrich was railing against on Morning Edition this morning?

[dhill926]

2. waiting to hear from repub State's Rights advocates....

waiting.....waiting.....

[onecaliberal]

3. California needs to stop sending the Feds any money.

[cstanleytech]

4. No, the proper place to fight this is at the polls and in the courts cutting off

sending in federal tax money just helps the far right nutjobs accomplish their goal of weakening the federal government.

[defacto7]

6. The federal government is in the process of shutting

down government anyway. A temporary defending of the feds in return for supporting human rights in CA is a reasonable response. If the political tide changes taxes are back in line, if the political tide doesn't change we're all screwed anyway and CA will be one step ahead of the crash.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. This will go to court and lose

A current E.O. doing similar already has a TRO on it -

<...>

The DOJ’s announcement comes less than a week after a U.S. District Court judge upheld a preliminary injunction he previously granted blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order stripping Santa Clara County and other sanctuary jurisdictions of federal funding.

Judge William Orrick also denied the federal government’s request to dismiss the county’s Feb. 3 lawsuit against the administration.

“We are eager and prepared to pursue the lawsuit on behalf of Santa Clara County residents and communities across the country until the Executive Order is permanently struck down,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese last week following Orrick’s decision.

With Santa Clara County and San Francisco’s landmark motion for a preliminary injunction upheld, the section of the executive order applying to sanctuary jurisdictions will not go into effect until the court rules on the county’s lawsuit against the administration.

<...>

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/25/justice-department-puts-funding-restrictions-on-sanctuary-cities/

The Executive Branch cannot unilaterally change the terms of congressional appropriations legislation.

[defacto7]

7. Hopeful.

But in the longer run the GOP will have to go. Congress can change appropriations and SCOTUS can rule.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Congress is working out the appropriations bills right now

however if they attempt to write it so as to "punish" these sanctuary cities (and here in Philly, we are one), then they are in danger of violating the Constitution in terms of creating a "bill of attainder", which is prohibited.

The federal government can enter into "partnerships" with state/local entities to carry out overlapping work (often done to increase resources for both parties) but they can't force a locality to carry out a federal mission. There are clear demarcations on what is "federal" vs what is "state/local" (i.e., if something "enters into interstate commerce" and/or some activity occurs that crosses a state/international border, then it is under federal government jurisdiction).

[dalton99a]

8. +1

[riversedge]

9. This is why Sessions will never resign. He loves the Power of his position-to hurt people