The Justice Department has cleared two counties that were suspected of having sanctuary city polices so they can receive federal funding. The two counties, Clark County in Nevada and Miami-Dade County in Florida, were among the 10 jurisdictions that were asked to explain their polices after the Obama administration flagged them for potentially violating federal immigration laws.
“Based on the materials you have provided, we found no evidence that Clark County is currently out of compliance with section 1373,” read a letter sent from acting Assistant Attorney General Alan Hanson to Clark County officials. “As a reminder, complying with section 1373 is an ongoing requirement that the Office of Justice Programs will continue to monitor.”
A similar letter was sent to officials in Miami-Dade County.
Clark County officials say that they believe they will now receive the $975,604 in Byrne JAG federal grants.
“The 2016 money is obviously very late, so hopefully this removes any doubt on their part that we are complying with federal law,” said county spokesman Erik Pappa.
Miami-Dade County said they received their $480,000 in federal grants but were concerned that being labeled a sanctuary city would threaten future grants.
The other 10 sanctuary jurisdictions were the states of California and Connecticut; the municipalities of Chicago, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia; and Milwaukee County in Wisconsin and Cook County in Illinois (Chicago).
“This administration will not simply give away grant dollars to city governments that proudly violate the rule of law and protect criminal aliens at the expense of public safety,” Mr. Sessions said Monday. “So it’s this simple: Comply with the law, or forgo taxpayer dollars.”
Read more on this story at The Washington Times.
