Mayors and police chiefs in scores of U.S. cities have said that they will not participate in enforcement of immigration policies espoused by President-elect Trump, reports ABC News. The cities include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Tucson, Denver, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. While campaigning, Trump promised to create a “deportation force,” and in a television appearance last Sunday he promised to begin the process of deporting 2 to 3 million undocumented immigrants after he takes office in January. The cities stand to lose millions of dollars in federal funds if Trump carries out a pledge to isolate these so-called “sanctuary” cities that do not compel their police officers to enforce immigration laws, says the Denver Post.
Many of the cities that are pushing back have Democratic leadership and have declared themselves “sanctuary cities,” which generally means they decline to cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities. More people were deported under President Barack Obama than any previous administration, and for years, many local governments balked at the administration’s deportation efforts. Refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement could jeopardize federal funding to state and local governments, something that Trump has threatened and will have the power to influence.