Democrats are expressing outrage over the administration's push Monday to punish so-called "sanctuary cities" for blocking federal authorities from seizing illegal criminals for deportation.
"This administration not only is trying to bully law enforcement and make them ICE agents, but they're trying to bully immigrant families. This is not who we are as a country," declared Democratic Party chief Tom Perez.
But unstated is that former President Obama instituted similar policies almost a year ago when he bowed to House GOP pressure and had his Justice Department announce that some federal funding to the sanctuaries would be cut off if those jurisdictions didn't help Immigration and Customs Enforcement's enforcement and removal agents.
When the Obama administration set out to punish the cities, they were given a wide birth from Democrats who said little in opposition.
The Texas lawmaker who pressured for the change noted today that in his move, Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions was enforcing the Obama policies.
In a statement, Rep. John Culberson said:
"As the chairman of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee on Appropriations, I am committed to providing resources to our law enforcement officials and restoring the rule of law in our country. Last year, I persuaded Attorney General Loretta Lynch to change the Department of Justice's policy so that sanctuary jurisdictions are no longer eligible to receive federal law enforcement grants going forward.
"Today, Attorney General Sessions reaffirmed the administration's pledge that cities who receive our hard-earned tax dollars must be in compliance with federal immigration law, and I will continue to conduct the necessary oversight to ensure that jurisdictions who protect criminal illegal aliens do not receive federal law enforcement grant money."
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/flashback-dems-said-nothing-when-obama-punished-sanctuary-cities/article/2618558
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