AG Pam Bondi cuts off federal funding for sanctuary cities

Pam Bondi, the new attorney general of the United States, has just cut off federal funding for cities that provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants. 

This is according to a new report from the New York Post. 

Bondi, as we will see, is wasting absolutely no time at all.

She was just confirmed and sworn in as attorney general earlier this week, and she is already making really big moves.

Bondi cuts them off

Bondi announced her decision to cut off funding for sanctuary cities soon after being sworn in as the new attorney general.

She issued a memo, on her first day on the job, saying:

[T]he Department of Justice will ensure that, consistent with law, ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ do not receive access to Federal funds from the Department. Consistent with applicable statutes, regulations, court orders, and terms, the Department of Justice shall pause the distribution of all funds until a review has been completed, terminate any agreements that are in violation of law or are the source of waste, fraud, or abuse, and initiate clawback or recoupment procedures, where appropriate.”

According to the terms of the memo, there will now be a 60-day pause on the handing out of these funds, and a report on the situation is expected to be given to Bondi by day 45.

There are many parts of the country that could be affected by this move.

The Post reports:

Both New York’s state government and New York City are sanctuary jurisdictions that do not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in deportation proceedings. Other sanctuary states include California and Connecticut — while major cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., also have such policies.

"We will seek prosecution"

This is all part of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. There has been much pushback to Trump's policies by the political left, especially from so-called sanctuary cities.

One of the big questions is whether the Trump administration will go after these sanctuary city officials legally. The answer appears to be "yes," it will.

Tom Homan, Trump's border "czar" made this clear during a recent appearance on the Fox News Channel's The Faulkner Focus. There, he said that the Trump administration "will seek prosecution" of any local official who does not comply with the law.

He said:

. . . for any mayor or governor who doesn’t want public safety threats removed from the communities, I find it hard to believe that. But we’re going to do it, with or without them. If they’re not going to help, get out of the way. But don’t cross that line. Do not impede our operations. Do not knowingly conceal or harbor an illegal aliens because we will seek prosecution.

We, no doubt, will see how this plays out in the coming months.