WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the Department of Justice would begin executing President Trump’s Executive Order barring federal grants to sanctuary cities and “clawing back” existing federal awards to such cities:
"As a former mayor, I know first-hand how disastrous these policies would be for American cities, law enforcement officers, and their efforts to protect public safety. Forcing local police to detain undocumented immigrants who are suspected nonviolent offenders wastes limited resources, distracts police officers from fighting serious crimes, and harms the ability of officers to build trust and cooperation with the communities they are sworn to protect. Demanding that cities repay federal funding used to hire officers or otherwise fight crime and arguing this will make communities safer defies logic. There’s no doubt that our broken immigration system needs to be fixed, but forcing local police officers to act as ICE agents is not a solution."
