The nation’s capital is planning to use $500,000 to help migrants circumvent deportation under President-Elect Donald Trump’s and help pay the legal bills for individuals looking to apply for asylum.
The money will go from the pockets of Washington D.C.’s taxpayers to the coffers of defense lawyers who are willing to represent the region’s estimated 25,000 illegal immigrants in court, the Washington Post reported.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said her city was “doubling down” on their sanctuary city status, saying the illegal immigrant population would be supported by the “legal community.”
“We must ensure that all District residents can take advantage of their federal and constitutional rights,” Bowser told the Post. “If immigration enforcement changes and problems arise, D.C.’s immigrant population will have our support and the support of D.C.’s legal community.”
Washington is not the first in the country to begin a legal fund for migrants.
Los Angeles, California, has started a much more significant fund, with nearly $10 million expected to be set aside to pay for the legal expenses of the area’s massive illegal immigrant population, as Breitbart Texas reported.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.