In Trump’s first week in office he has stuck to his campaign promises of cracking down on illegal immigration into the U.S. His executive order to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico and to crack down on sanctuary cities will have big impacts on states.
Trump’s executive order threatens to cut off federal funding to cities that continue to protect those who have moved to their cities illegally and refuse to cooperate with immigration laws and immigration agents. “These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic,” Trump’s executive order states.
On Thursday, the Mayor of Miami-Dade announced that he will end the sanctuary city policy in his jurisdiction and cooperate with President Trump’s executive order. Miami-Dade is the first major city to publicly comply with President Trump’s recent order. In response to the mayor’s decision, President Trump tweeted that it was the “right decision.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also come out as a strong supporter of Trump’s newest policy. The governor has said that he will purse legislation that will remove from office officials who promote sanctuary cities. Abbott said in an interview Wednesday with Fox & Friends that he is working with Texas legislators to ban sanctuary cities as well as pose financial and criminal penalties on officials who decide not to comply with these new policies.
Governor Abbott has recently been involved in a dispute with Travis County Sherriff Sally Hernandez, who has said that she will not be fully cooperating with federal officials when it comes to deporting inmates. Abbott has already threatened to cut off almost $2 million in funding from the state unless Hernandez decides to cooperate with immigration laws and agents.
Hernandez is not the only government official who has shown resistance to the new anti sanctuary city policies. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has stated that he will continue with his cities policy of offering protection to illegal immigrants. “We are doing the right thing, “ said de Blasio. “We have a city that is working economically, that is more harmonious and that is safer.”
Other cities like Chicago and Philadelphia have also said that they will not be changing their sanctuary city policy, even after Trump’s executive order. A spokeswoman for the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, stated that the executive order has no specific way of cutting off funding; therefore, he is not worried.
In the coming weeks many other major cities are bound to come out and take a stand on this controversial issue and how officials will handle those who are living in the United States illegally.