Sanctuary Cities: Separating Trump’s Rhetoric From Reality

Washington, D.C. – As Trump directs his Attorney General Pam Bondi, to escalate attacks on sanctuary cities through new DOJ memos and lawsuits, his allies in Congress are preparing to codify this assault with the “No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act.” The proposed “No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act” is a direct attack on local governments that prioritize public safety and community trust over serving as enforcers of Trump’s deportation machine. If passed, it would gut funding for school lunches, emergency Medicaid, disaster relief, public transit, and domestic violence shelters for all residents of a locality—penalizing entire communities to force compliance with mass deportations.

“This is chaotic governance that attempts to dictate how mayors and local law enforcement keep their communities safe while blocking critical funding that empowers all working families,” said Immigration Hub Co-Executive Director Beatriz Lopez. “It’s another move designed to erode trust between local governments and the communities they serve, all in an effort to realize Trump’s ideal America, where billionaires get richer and working families pay the price.”

We know the Trump administration has a hard time parsing rhetoric from reality, but here are the facts about sanctuary cities:

• Rhetoric: Sanctuary cities allow criminals to roam free and prohibit ICE from enforcing immigration laws.
  • Reality: Sanctuary policies do not protect criminals. Local law enforcement continues to arrest and prosecute individuals for crimes, regardless of immigration status, ensuring public safety remains the priority. These policies simply allow local law enforcement to prioritize their own resources. Additionally, sanctuary policies do not stop ICE from conducting immigration enforcement—local police routinely share fingerprint data with federal agencies. However, local jurisdictions are not required to detain individuals for ICE without a judicial warrant, maintaining constitutional protections for all residents.
• Rhetoric: Local police must enforce immigration laws.
  • Reality: Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. The Tenth Amendment prohibits the federal government from forcing local agencies to act as immigration officers. 
• Rhetoric: Immigrants in sanctuary cities commit more crimes.
  • Reality: Multiple studies show that immigrants—both documented and undocumented—are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans. Sanctuary jurisdictions have lower crime rates than non-sanctuary areas.
• Rhetoric: Sanctuary cities increase risks for domestic violence survivors and undermine public safety.
  • Reality: Sanctuary policies protect domestic violence survivors and strengthen public safety. When local police collaborate with ICE, survivors and witnesses are less likely to report crimes due to fear of deportation, making communities less safe. Forcing local police to act as immigration officers erodes trust, reduces crime reporting, and ultimately weakens public safety.

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