El Cheato’s advisers are once again discussing how to unilaterally strip federal resources from Democratic-run cities if they refuse to participate in deportations of undocumented immigrants next year. Via the Washington Post:
Advisers to Trump have pushed for using federal pressure — such as withholding federal funds — against municipalities that don’t cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on deportations, the people said. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe efforts not yet made public.
Trump vowed mass deportations during his campaign — eliciting fierce pushback from some Democratic mayors in “sanctuary cities” and governors in blue states, some of whom are already promising to defy the president-elect’s pledges. He tried to slash funds to those jurisdictions in his first term, but with only limited success, and any similar effort in his second term could also run into roadblocks.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) told The Washington Post that “there will not be any cooperation” with ICE deportations and that the city will challenge any threats to its funding.
I’m not sure how cities fight for their funding, but I assume it will include lots and lots of lawsuits, as happened during the first Trump term when he tried the same threats.