The IG report expressed concerns that city employees were not made “explicitly aware” that their local ordinance did not limit their legal authority to respond to ICE requests. Investigators for the DOJ’s watchdog said they believed some sanctuary city policies “may be causing local officials to believe and apply the policies in a manner that prohibits or restricts cooperation with ICE in all respects.”

The report also recommended that the department consider issuing guidance to grant recipients, require certification that they are complying with the federal law, consult with ICE and other law enforcement agencies to gauge whether the cities were sharing immigration information, and make sure that grant recipients “clearly communicate” to employees that they “cannot be prohibited or restricted from sending citizenship or immigration status information to ICE.”

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the state “has a right to determine how it will provide for the safety and general welfare of its residents” and to safeguard constitutional rights.

“Fear mongering and falsehoods will not intimidate our state into compromising our values,” he said. “Federal threats to take away resources from law enforcement or our people in an attempt to bully states and localities into carrying out the new administration’ s unsound deportation plan are reckless and jeopardize public safety.”