Mayor Bill de Blasio canceled a planned trip to the White House after a crackdown on sanctuary cities like New York.
Ahead of the planned meeting on Wednesday, the Justice Department threatened to withhold federal funding from cities unless they provided proof that they were complying with immigration laws.
“It makes no sense to me. If I was inviting someone to come meet me, I would not attack them and their city that same morning,” de Blasio said.
The mayor called it a “racist assault.” He promised a court fight if the Justice Department followed through on its threats to withhold federal funding.
De Blasio and mayors from other cities around the country were scheduled to be at the White House for a meeting on infrastructure.
“It's astounding to me that this opportunity was undermined by the president and his administration,” de Blasio said.
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