Mayor Bill de Blasio says New York City will continue to welcome immigrants.
He issued a statement on Monday, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened to withhold grants and reduce funding for cities that refuse to enforce the immigration laws.
"President Trump's latest threat changes nothing. We will remain a city welcoming of immigrants who have helped make our city the safest big city in the nation,” de Blasio said.
The mayor said a cut to federal funding would impact the NYPD and the ability to keep New York City safe. He promised to fight the issue in court.
“We won’t back down from protecting New Yorkers from terror – or from an overzealous administration fixated on xenophobia and needless division,” de Blasio said.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman claimed that President Trump doesn’t have the constitutional authority to broadly cut off funding to local governments if they’re legally protecting immigrants.
“Public safety depends on trust between law enforcement and those they bravely serve; yet, again and again, President Trump’s draconian policies only serve to undercut that trust,” Schneiderman said in a statement.
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