First 'sanctuary city' caves to Trump demands

Alan Gomez | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Has Trump kept his campaign promises? One week in, President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do... sort of.

MIAMI — President Trump is hailing the first victory in his fight against "sanctuary cities" after a South Florida mayor ordered his employees on Thursday to begin working more closely with federal immigration authorities.

For years, Miami-Dade County has refused to hold some undocumented immigrants in its jails for federal immigration agents. But after Trump signed an executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez changed his mind.

Gimenez signed an executive order Thursday ordering the director of his corrections department to begin honoring all requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold immigration suspects in Miami-Dade County jails.

"Miami-Dade County complies with federal law and intends to fully cooperate with the federal government," the order read.

Gimenez said he made the decision to ensure that the county does not lose out on $355 million in federal funding it has coming in 2017.

Trump was quick to praise the decision, tweeting on Thursday: "Right decision. Strong!"

The term "sanctuary city" is a broad term that describes up to 300 communities that have policies protecting the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Some refuse to share any information with ICE agents. Some will share information, but refuse to hold undocumented immigrants for the sole purpose of giving ICE agents time to pick them up.

Trump vowed throughout the campaign to crack down on those cities. He often cited the example of Kate Steinle, a San Francisco woman who was shot and killed by an undocumented immigrant who had been released by the city's sheriff's department.

On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order that directed the Department of Homeland Security to identify and label "sanctuary cities" in the U.S. It ordered the department to publish a weekly roundup of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, including any local police departments that had custody of those immigrants but chose to release them.

The order also directed the departments of Justice and Homeland Security to identify federal grants that can be withheld from sanctuary cities that continue their practices. Those federal departments give out millions of dollars in grants each year to help local communities hire police officers, hold undocumented immigrants, improve community policing practices and crack down on violence against women.

"These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic," Trump's order read.

Big city mayors responded forcefully to Trump's order, with mayors from San Francisco to Chicago to New York vowing to fight back. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he would even allow undocumented immigrants to seek refuge in city hall.

"They can use my office," Walsh said. "They can use any office in this building."

States say they will not be bullied by Trump After President Donald Trump signed an executive order exploring cutting off funding to so-called sanctuary cities, mayors on both coasts of the U.S. say their cities will not be bullied. (Jan. 25)

A collection of police chiefs and sheriffs on Thursday also criticized Trump's attacks on sanctuary cities.

They say the practice of holding suspects in their jails solely for ICE has been ruled unconstitutional by federal courts. And they say the federal government should not try to force cities to carry out the federal responsibility of immigration enforcement.

"Law enforcement has a responsibility to work with federal immigration authorities. And the vast majority of police departments do," said Montgomery County (Md.) Police Chief Tom Manger. "But this notion that the federal government would cut funding to coerce local policies to change is troubling."

Contributing: Aamer Madhani in Chicago.