President Trump announced on Thursday that due to a Federal Court decision last week, "the Federal government will be withholding funds from Sanctuary Cities," adding "They should change their status and go non-Sanctuary. Do not protect criminals!"

As per recent Federal Court ruling, the Federal Government will be withholding funds from Sanctuary Cities. They should change their status and go non-Sanctuary. Do not protect criminals! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2020

Trump was referring to a Feb. 26 ruling by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has the authority to withhold funding from cities and states which have refused to help the federal government crack down on people living in the country illegally.

The three-judge panel found Congress had delegated authority to the attorney general to set conditions on the federal grant program it had created, called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. The decision came after multiple courts had ruled against the Trump administration on the issue, saying it lacked the authority to impose immigration-related conditions on certain funding. -The Hill

The decision comes after seven states and New York City filed a 2017 lawsuit against then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had announced the withholding of funds from local governments which refused to share information regarding illegal immigrants, including jail access to federal authorities looking into the immigration status of immigrants, according to The Hill, which adds that officials which backed the lawsuit have vowed to challenge the ruling by the appeals court.