Sanctuary cities across the nation are digging in their heels and preparing for a fight with the Trump administration after the Justice Department requested that jurisdictions start cooperating with the feds regarding illegal immigration.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened to withhold federal funds to sanctuary cities during Monday's White House press briefing, arguing that not deporting illegal aliens with criminal backgrounds puts the public at risk.
New York said it's more than willing to oppose the directive and do what it feels is right.
"We are going to become this administration's worst nightmare," New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said during a sanctuary city conference Monday, the Associated Press reported.
The event took place in New York City and included officials from several major U.S. cities that do not enforce federal immigration laws.
Sessions said Monday sanctuary city policies "endanger the lives of every American," not to mention they violate federal laws.
As part of his immigration reform, President Donald Trump has promised to crack down on sanctuary cities who harbor illegal immigrants and do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said his city will defy Sessions' order and continue offering a safe place for illegals to stay.
"We will fight to protect the safety and dignity of all Angelenos, and we will work closely with our representatives in Congress to make sure that Los Angeles does not go without federal resources that help protect millions of people every day," Garcetti said, reports the Los Angeles Daily News.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who for a time served as former President Barack Obama's chief of staff, said Monday his city's position on immigrants — both illegal and legal — will not change.
"I've always seen Chicago as a welcoming city," he told NBC5 Chicago. "Chicago was built on the back of immigrants, and our future is hitched to the wagon of immigrants who come to the city."
In New York, Mark-Viverito said officials there will deny access to federal immigration authorities at certain areas on city property and at schools.
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