Trump May Have Potent Tool Against Sanctuary Cities

It's possible that Chicago will emerge as ground zero in the immigration fight during the early days of the new Trump administration. A Washington Post story looks at how President-elect Trump's pledge to enact mass deportations of migrants will play out in major Democratic-run cities that generally fall under the "sanctuary city" umbrella. If the cities refuse to cooperate and instead try to protect migrants, Trump advisers are pushing for him to withhold federal funds. In the story, Chicago, Denver, and New York City are listed as potential flashpoints, but Chicago appears to be the big target.

• "I think Chicago is going to be made an example of," says an anonymous insider who is familiar with the planning.
• "This sanctuary cities thing will be an early administration showdown, and I believe Trump will come down as hard as you can see," longtime adviser Steve Bannon tells the Post. "The sanctuary cities movement will be finished under President Trump—he's not going to play any games here; this is too important to the country."
• So what is a "sanctuary city?" Newsweek notes that no legal definition exists, but it generally refers to locales that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The outlet counts 13 states and 220 cities that have enacted some type of "sanctuary" law.
• Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says his administration has no intention of cooperating and would challenge any withholding of funds in court. The stakes? Federal grants account for 20% of the city's 2025 budget.
• Incoming border czar Tom Homan warned leaders of sanctuary cities not to "test us" on the matter, reports the New York Post. He said they could run afoul of a federal law that prohibits harboring undocumented immigrants, which syncs with a Bannon warning about possible criminal prosecutions.

(Denver's mayor predicted his city's residents would rise up en masse to protect migrants in what he called a "Tiananmen Square moment.")