Attorney General Merrick GarlandMerrick GarlandSix House Democrats ask Garland to review case of lawyer placed under house arrest over Chevron suit DOJ rescinds Trump-era ‘sanctuary cities’ policy The Hill’s Morning Report – Census winners and losers; House GOP huddles MORE has rescinded a Trump-era memo blocking so-called sanctuary cities from receiving funding from the Department of Justice.
A memo limiting $250 million in funding to local police departments if they didn’t agree to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials was issued by then-Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsDOJ launches probe of Louisville police after fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor DOJ to probe Minneapolis police Garland rescinds Trump-era memo curtailing consent decrees MORE in 2017 following an executive order by former President TrumpDonald TrumpTulane adds Hunter Biden as guest speaker on media polarization Trump discussing resumption of MAGA rallies: report Biden’s unavoidable foreign policy crisis MORE.
Garland rescinded that in a memo signed two weeks ago, and a new memo obtained by Reuters Wednesday directs the Justice Department to reinitiate the process on any pending grants that would have required cooperation with immigration authorities.
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“The Department informed grant recipients and applicants that they will continue receiving certain Department grants without making certifications,” the Justice Department writes on its community-oriented policing page.
“The Department will also cease giving priority consideration to grant applicants that accept conditions similar to those requirements.”
Trump’s executive order, signed just days after taking office, was one of several policies enacted during his administration seeking to punish left-leaning cities by withholding federal funding.
“We cannot faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States if we exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,” Trump wrote in the memo.
He later signed a memo seeking to restrict funding to “anarchist jurisdictions,” targeting New York, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore.
At the tail end of the Trump administration, the Supreme Court declined to take an appeal from the White House seeking to overturn a 9th Circuit Court ruling in favor of sanctuary cities. The lower court determined local law enforcement had no obligation to assist immigration officers.