Trump Asks Why Federal Government Should Bailout Sanctuary Cities, Suggests Aid May Be Withheld

It’s refreshing to have a President that believes cities and states need to follow federal law.

Repeatedly throughout his presidency, Trump has demanded illegal sanctuary cities follow the law. Now, he may be laying down the hammer with COVID aid.

While it’s certainly important to get aid to those who need it, it’s equally important that cities and states understand that federal law is supreme.

Some sanctuary cities blatantly disregard immigration laws and release dangerous criminals in order to prevent ICE from deporting them.

Just like he promised in his campaign, President Trump is fed up with it, just like so many of us are.

Here’s further details on Trump’s potential plan from Business Insider:

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he might withhold federal coronavirus aid from any states refusing to comply with his administration’s immigration policies.

“If it’s COVID-related, I guess we can talk about it, but we’d want certain things also, including sanctuary-city adjustments,” he told a White House event meant to promote measures to help businesses during the pandemic.

“That’s one of the things I think about,” he added. “If we were going to do something for the states, I think they’d probably want something having to do with sanctuary cities and other different points that we can discuss a little later on.”

Sanctuary cities and states have policies to refuse or limit cooperation with the federal government’s immigration enforcement. Trump has long criticized them for not complying with his administration’s hard-line measures.

The US has 11 sanctuary states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. There are also sanctuary cities and counties in other states that don’t have such policies.

Both Democratic and Republican governors have called for federal aid to help states cover massive budget shortfalls caused by the coronavirus crisis.

But the issue has become the focus of partisan controversy, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last week saying that states with shortfalls should consider declaring bankruptcy, an idea critics say is designed to hand greater control over state budgets to the federal government.

NATIONAL POLL: Do You Still Support President Trump?

Trump has long railed against cities that have resisted complying with his hard-line anti-migrant policies, often arguing that such cities shield dangerous criminals from prosecution and deportation.

Is it too much to ask for cities and states to follow the law?

If you’re a Democrat, absolutely!

The liberal economist Robert Reich called Trump’s possible move a “quid pro quo” and likened it to the Ukraine controversy used to impeach him.

Check out Reich’s uninsightful tweet:

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