Amid threats by the Trump administration to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti vowed to fight any efforts to take away money needed to fight crime.
"Slashing funds for first-responders, for our port and airport, for counterterrorism, crime-fighting and community-building serves no one — not this city, not the federal government, not the American people," he said.
"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's comments were reported in the Los Angeles Daily News newspaper.
The newspaper said Garcetti did not refer to Los Angeles as a "sanctuary city." It noted he had said earlier this year that is a "myth that we don't collaborate or cooperate with federal officials."
And he said cutting funds would be unconstitutional and added the city's policies are "designed to keep our residents safe."
The latest warning from the Trump administration came from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to the newspaper. And it follows a Trump administration report on jails, which listed more than 200 cases throughout the U.S. where immigrants were released before federal agents could intervene.
Jails in the Los Angeles area made the government's list, according to the newspaper.
Sessions had warned that local policies of noncooperation with immigration authorities will cost cities federal funding, Fox News reported.
"Such policies cannot continue," he said. "They make our nation less safe by putting dangerous criminals back on the street."
Garcetti said he is prepared to fight the government in court if federal funding is cut to Los Angeles, the Daily News said.
"You can take away funding for a specific program if you don't adhere to specific requirements of that program, but we don't have funding that is for the cooperation of our immigration federal officials and our local officials," he said.
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