Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired a shot across the bow of so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions like Chicago Wednesday from Miami, where a dramatic shift to compliance with federal immigration enforcement took place.
“If voters in Chicago are concerned about losing federal grant money: call your mayor,” Sessions told Chicagoans in his prepared remarks.
Slamming Chicago and its mayor, former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, for the city’s nation-leading homicide and anemic clearance rate — barely one in four murders in Chicago are solved — the attorney general scolded, “Rather than acknowledge soaring murder counts or the heartbreaking stories told by victims’ families, Chicago’s mayor has chosen to sue the federal government.”
The Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez was joined by the Board of Commissioners of Miami-Dade County in ending long-standing policies against cooperating with federal immigration enforcement authorities in February. Mayor Giménez was one of the first local leaders in the country to urge such a change after President Donald Trump took office. This month, the Department of Justice certified that the changes brought Miami-Dade into compliance with the department’s requirements and would receive federal law enforcement grants unhindered.
Sessions praised this development, saying:
Last week, we sent a letter to your mayor and today I’m here to announce that Miami-Dade is now in full compliance and eligible for federal law enforcement grant dollars. This is wonderful news for law enforcement and the citizens of Miami-Dade. It means more money for crime fighting. And it means we are partners in keeping everyone here safe.
The attorney general went on to explain what he saw as the significance of Miami-Dade’s decision:
The people of Miami-Dade know that the rule of law guarantees equality and opportunity. Protecting this guarantee is why the government of Miami-Dade made its decision to work with federal law enforcement, not against us. And that is critical because it shows that this jurisdiction is serious about protecting its citizens from danger and its law enforcement officers from unnecessary risk. In fact, the majority of the country believes that all cities should do the same. According to one poll, 80 percent of Americans believe that cities should turn over criminal illegal aliens to immigration officials. Leaders in jurisdictions like Miami-Dade, Lansing, and Westchester County, New York, believe it too, which is why they have stood up for the people they serve by choosing the rule of law. So to all “sanctuary” jurisdictions across the country, I say this: Miami-Dade is doing it, and so can you. Work with us to enforce a lawful immigration system that keeps us safe and serves our national interest.
By contrast, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel doubled down on his city’s “sanctuary” status, hiring a massive and ruinously expensive team of lawyers from white-shoe powerhouse firm Wilmer Hale to sue Sessions and his DOJ for trying to deny them grant money. Chicago was and is one of the most flagrant violators of federal immigration policies, with rules in place not only to prevent cooperation with federal agents, but an entire system set up to allow illegal aliens to receive benefits without coming to the attention of authorities.
“Unfortunately, some cities – like Chicago – refuse to follow your example. In Chicago – a city with almost exactly the same 2.7 million person population as Miami-Dade – more than 433 people have been murdered since the beginning of the year. More than three times as many as Miami-Dade,” Sessions said.
After relating several horrific anecdotes of Chicagoans victimized by illegal aliens who should have, and would but for sanctuary policies, have been deported, Sessisons added:
These policies of sanctuary cities do far broader damage to the country than many understand. At its root, it is a rejection of our immigration laws and a declaration of open borders. It says if you enter the country last week with a criminal record and get to Chicago, we will not even support deporting you even after you commit a serious crime against one of our citizens. This is lawlessness. And these lawless policies do more than shield individual criminal aliens – they also shelter and protect lethal gangs and transnational criminal organizations like Latin Kings and MS-13. These predators thrive when crime is not met with consequences. This state of lawlessness allows gangs to smuggle guns, drugs, and even humans, across borders and around cities and communities. Sanctuary jurisdictions provide safe harbor for some of the most dangerous criminals in our country. That makes a sanctuary city a trafficker, smuggler, or predator’s best friend.
Today’s address, with its open defiance of Emanuel’s attempt to thwart the administration’s effort to rein in sanctuary cities, is part of a months- long campaign by both the White House and Sessions’ Department of Justice.
“This is a really big deal for the administration, a really big promise that the president is keeping,” a White House official told Breitbart News in advance of Sessions’ address. “This is the largest crackdown on sanctuary cities in American history and, as a result of this policy, thousands of American lives are going to be saved.”
According to the official, President Trump has communicated with Sessions about this announcement, calling the sanctuary cities policy a “top priority for the White House.”
“The president has always been the leader on this particular issue and he and the attorney general have been in lockstep on enforcing America’s immigration laws, there’s no daylight between them,” he told Breitbart News.
Senior White House Correspondent Charlie Spiering contributed to this story.
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