3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017
Attorney general: Sanctuary
cities are risking federal money
utive order Trump signed in
January.
The White House last week
listed more than 200 cases of
immigrants released from cus-
tody before federal agents
could intervene. Sessions on
Monday pointed to two cases
in which immigrants who had
been released by local law
enforcement went on to com-
mit violent crimes.
Refusing to honor such
immigration detainer requests
would not put a city in vio-
lation of the statute Sessions
cited, which deals instead with
law enforcement sharing of
information about someone’s
immigration status.
Portland, Seattle
among cities on
the West Coast
By SADIE GURMAN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Attor-
ney General Jeff Sessions on
Monday warned so-called
sanctuary cities they could
lose federal money for refus-
ing to cooperate with immigra-
tion authorities and suggested
the government would come
after grants that have already
been awarded if they don’t
comply.
Sessions said the Justice
Department would require cit-
ies seeking some of $4.1 bil-
lion available in grant money
to verify that they are in com-
pliance with a section of fed-
eral law that allows informa-
tion sharing with immigration
officials.
His statements in the White
House briefing room brought
to mind tough talk from Pres-
ident Donald Trump’s cam-
paign and came just three
days after the administration’s
crushing health care defeat.
But Sessions also acknowl-
edged he was reiterating a
similar policy adopted by the
Obama administration last
year.
“I urge the nation’s states
and cities to carefully consider
the harm they are doing to their
citizens by refusing to enforce
our immigration laws,” Ses-
sions said.
The message is a further-
ance of Trump’s campaign
promise to “defund” sanctuary
cities by taking away their fed-
eral funding. But legal prece-
dent suggests that would be
difficult.
The Obama administration
issued the same warning last
year, telling cities they risked
losing grant money in 2017 if
they didn’t comply with the
law.
Sessions did not detail what
specific factors would trig-
ger the government to deny or
strip a city of money, only that
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Attorney General Jeff Sessions pauses while speaking
to members of the media during the daily briefing at the
White House in Washington, D.C., Monday.
ees do not cooperate with ICE.
However, ICE has the power
to operate within our city, and
does not have to inform us of
their activities.”
it would take “all lawful steps
to claw-back” funds already
awarded to cities deemed to be
out of compliance.
Portland and Seattle are
among the sanctuary cities on
the West Coast.
“All of this is happening
in an environment that con-
tains a lot of heated rhetoric
but not a lot of facts,” Portland
Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a
statement. “For example, just
last week an Oregon Republi-
can Party spokesman said that
Portland’s status as a sanctuary
city means we are harboring
‘criminal illegal aliens who are
murdering and raping.’ This
statement is inaccurate and
harmful.”
Wheeler said Portland
received just over $3 million in
Department of Justice grants in
the city’s 2015-16 budget, and
questioned whether Sessions
has the legal ability to with-
hold grant funds from states
over the issue.
Wheeler said his adminis-
tration spoke with Immigra-
tion and Customs Enforcement
and the Department of Jus-
tice Monday about concerns
over the “tremendous damage
they are doing to the social,
civic, and economic life of our
city. The City of Portland, our
police bureau, and our employ-
Array of programs
At stake are grants that go
toward an array of programs,
including victim services,
body cameras for police, tools
to cut rape kit testing back-
logs and police involvement in
community events.
In fiscal year 2016, the
Office of Justice Programs
made nearly 3,000 grants
totaling $3.9 billion to cities,
counties, states and other local
governments.
Philadelphia, which has
designated itself as a “sanctu-
ary city,” received $57.5 mil-
lion in Justice Department
grants in fiscal year 2016
— mostly to cover police
expenses for the Democratic
National Convention, which
was held in the city.
Although there is no offi-
cial definition of what makes
a locality a “sanctuary,” the
Trump administration has
begun to publish weekly
reports of local jurisdictions
that aren’t cooperating with
federal efforts to find and
deport immigrants in the coun-
try illegally, as part of exec-
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Defy any crackdown
Meanwhile,
municipal
leaders nationwide vowed to
defy any crackdown.
“We are going to become
this administration’s worst
nightmare,” said New York
City Council Speaker Melissa
Mark-Viverito, who was
among officials gathered in
New York for a small confer-
ence that attracted officials
from cities including San Fran-
cisco, Seattle, Denver, Chi-
cago, Philadelphia and New
York.
Mark-Viverito and oth-
ers promised to block fed-
eral immigration agents from
accessing certain private areas
on city property, to restrict
their access to schools and
school records and to offer
legal services to immigrants in
the country illegally.
California Senate leader
Kevin de León called Ses-
sions’ message, “nothing short
of blackmail. … Their gun-
to-the-head method to force
resistant cities and counties to
participate in Trump’s inhu-
mane and counterproductive
mass-deportation is unconsti-
tutional and will fail.”
Associated Press writers
Meghan Hoyer in Washington,
Steve Peoples in New York and
Gene Johnson in Seattle con-
tributed to this report.
Sentence: ‘It was a little
bit of good news for us
in law enforcement’
“As soon as I sprin-
kled meth onto my dream,
Moreover,
Needham it became a nightmare,” he
argued his client only had 20 said.
grams of methamphetamine,
Seaside Police Chief
and the case might not have Dave Ham and other local
reached federal court except law enforcement officials
for the death of the police went to Portland for the sen-
officer.
tencing. “It was a little bit
U.S. District Judge of good news for us in law
Michael Simon reminded enforcement,” Ham told the
Needham that drug cases Seaside City Council Mon-
are treated differently when day night.
they include vio-
U.S. Attorney
lence and felons
Billy J. Williams
in possession of a
thanked the federal
firearm.
Bureau of Alco-
“I appreciate
hol, Tobacco, Fire-
that you were not
arms and Explo-
the one that caused
sives and local law
the death of the
enforcement for
heroic
law-en-
their work on the
forcement
offi-
investigation.
cer — not directly
“The tragic and
— but your pos-
senseless
death
Sgt. Jason
session of a fire-
of Sgt. Goodding
Goodding
arm did lead to
underscores the
the death of Sgt. Goodding,” very real danger law enforce-
Simon told the defendant.
ment officers face every day
Jones was born in Las while faithfully serving their
Vegas and has an extensive communities,” Williams said
criminal record in Nevada, in a statement. “We owe a
including convictions for tremendous debt of gratitude
grand larceny auto, posses- to Sgt. Goodding for his ser-
sion of a stolen vehicle, pos- vice and his loved ones for
session of a firearm by a their incredible sacrifice. It
felon, attempted possession is maddening to know that
of stolen property and escape. criminals involved in drug
After spending most of trafficking and the illegal
his adult life in prison, he possession of firearms con-
moved to the Oregon Coast tinue to present a danger to
to get a fresh start. Jones said our communities.”
he found a job and was turn-
R.J. Marx of The Daily
ing his life around before Astorian contributed to this
relapsing into his drug habit. report.
Continued from Page 1A
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