President Donald Trump on Tuesday told law enforcement that "sanctuary cities are dangerous — and we're going to take care of the problem."
"We're going to win it," Trump told national and local law enforcement officials at a roundtable on sanctuary cities at the White House. "It's not going to be easy, but we're going to win it."
The roundtable came as President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions continue their crackdown on sanctuary cities, jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
California has already sued the administration over laws that Sessions said keep federal authorities from enforcing immigration laws.
Sessions has also called for defunding sanctuary cities.
Trump commended the attorney general for his efforts, saying "the level of strength of the Justice Department and other agencies has been phenomenal."
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said sanctuary cities have become "sanctuaries for criminals."
She said federal laws initially created to protect legal immigrants in such areas have been "perverted — and they have become sanctuaries for criminals.
"This greatly flies in the face of the rule of law," Nielsen said.
"I'm horrified," she added. "This is a very real issue."
Trump ended the roundtable by saying "this is something that is hard to believe if you're on the other side.
"It's called law and order and safety — and we're going to have it in our cities.
"We're making a lot of progress," the president said. "We're trying to move at a faster clip, but we're making progress."
CBS News contributed to this report.
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