The Trump administration intends to challenge sanctuary city policies by threatening to bring charges against state and municipal officials who oppose federal immigration enforcement, according to a recent Justice Department document.
Federal prosecutors who choose not to pursue such immigration cases would be promptly sent to the Justice Department for examination and possible prosecution, according to the memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.
The three-page directive demonstrates how the Trump administration has been working for weeks to draft memos that they believe will be more resilient to legal challenges, according to CNN.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests,” the memo reads. “The U.S. Attorney’s Offices and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution.”
