Donald Trump yesterday said he was still considering releasing detained migrants onto the streets of “sanctuary cities” despite 24 hours of outcry after the proposal was revealed.

The US president tweeted that he was giving “strong considerations” to taking the move, which had been criticised as a form of political retribution when it first emerged on Thursday night.

So-called sanctuary cities are places where local authorities refuse to hand over illegal immigrants for deportation. They are often areas controlled by Democrat politicians.

The Washington Post reported late on Thursday that in November and again in February the White House had pushed plans to transport detained migrants to sanctuary cities.

The San Francisco district of congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the most senior Democrat in the House of Representatives and a fierce critic of the president, was said to be one of the areas targetted.