Pam Bondi, the attorney general, said she has sent “sanctuary city” letters to the mayors of 32 cities and a handful of county executives, warning that she intends to prosecute political leaders who are not in her view sufficiently supportive of immigration enforcement.
“You better be abiding by our federal policies and with our federal law enforcement, because if you’re not, we’re going to come after you,” she said, speaking to a Fox News reporter. “Our leaders have to support our law enforcement.”
Bondi’s letter asks the recipients to provide a response by 19 August that “confirms your commitment with complying with federal law and identifies the immediate initiatives you are taking to eliminate laws, policies and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement”.
Bondi cites an executive order issued by Donald Trump on 28 April which called for the attorney general to identify jurisdictions that “obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws” then to “notify each sanctuary jurisdiction regarding its defiance of Federal immigration law enforcement and any potential violations of Federal criminal law” as a precursor to prosecution or withholding grants.
Each of the recipients appears to have received a near-identical letter, none of which specify what local laws or practices fail to comply with Bondi’s assertions.
Initial responses from state and local governments receiving the letters include a mix of incredulity and defiance.
“Nothing in Attorney General Bondi’s letter is new and none of it has legal merit,” said Barbara Pierce, director of communications for the city of Rochester, New York. “The letter reiterates many of the frivolous arguments that the federal government has already made in its pending suit against the city of Rochester. These same arguments were levied against the city of Chicago and were dismissed by the federal district court for the eastern district of Illinois nearly a month ago.
“We look forward to the opportunity to respond to attorney General Bondi’s letter, and continue to underscore the inaccuracies of the federal government’s position.”
Bruce Harrell, the Seattle mayor, said the letter’s portrayal of his city and its laws was untruthful.
“Immigration enforcement is the exclusive responsibility of the federal government. The city neither interferes with nor carries out those federal duties,” he said. “We have received and are reviewing the latest letter from Attorney General Bondi and strongly disagree with its assertions. Our laws and policies protect the safety, privacy and constitutional rights of all Seattle residents while remaining compliant with applicable law.
“We remain committed to our local values, including being a welcoming city for all. We will continue to defend our residents and our rights – and we will not hesitate to do so in court.”
The office of Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, a Trump ally and embattled re-election candidate, offered a less strident immediate response.
“The job of a mayor is to protect the safety of every single person in their city – and that’s exactly what Mayor Adams has worked to do every day for nearly four years,” said Kayla Altus, Adams’ press secretary. “Keeping New Yorkers safe also means making sure they feel safe, and Mayor Adams has been clear: no one should be afraid to dial 911, send their kids to school, or go to the hospital, and no New Yorker should feel forced to hide in the shadows.
“That’s why the mayor supports the essence of the local laws put in place by the city council, but he has also urged the council to reexamine them to ensure we can effectively work with the federal government to keep violent criminals off our streets.”
The letters follow the publication of a revised “sanctuary jurisdiction” list on 5 August. The Department of Homeland Security withdrew a previous list after an outcry from rural sheriff’s offices and conservative jurisdictions that argued the list was created without input from sheriffs and “violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement”.
