President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Democrat governors and mayors nationwide to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, warning on Truth Social that refusal to do so has created "dangerous circumstances" and led to the deaths of two American citizens.
Trump outlined four specific actions he said Democrat officials must take to assist his administration's immigration enforcement efforts:
* Turn over all criminal illegal migrants currently held in state prisons and local jails — as well as those with active warrants or known criminal histories — to federal authorities for immediate deportation.
* Transfer custody of all illegal migrants arrested by local police to federal immigration officials.
* Require local law enforcement to assist federal authorities in apprehending and detaining illegal migrants wanted for crimes.
* Partner with the federal government to rapidly remove criminal illegal migrants, citing Democrat-led jurisdictions such as Memphis and Washington, D.C., that he said have cooperated and seen improved public safety.
In his criticism of Democrats, Trump specifically named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing them of refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and encouraging opposition to federal enforcement operations.
The president argued that Republican-led states have demonstrated that cooperation between local and federal authorities leads to orderly enforcement without unrest.
He said that in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana, ICE arrested more than 150,000 criminal illegal migrants over the past year without protests or riots, attributing the outcome to coordination between federal and local law enforcement.
By contrast, Trump accused Democrat-run "sanctuary cities and states" of obstructing enforcement efforts and prioritizing illegal immigrants over law-abiding citizens, which he said has created volatile conditions for law enforcement officers and the public.
Trump also urged Congress to pass legislation ending sanctuary city policies nationwide, calling them "the root cause" of the problem. He said American cities should be "safe sanctuaries for law-abiding American citizens only."
The statement comes as immigration enforcement remains a central issue in national politics, with sharp divisions between Republican and Democrat leaders over cooperation with federal authorities, public safety, and the role of local law enforcement.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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