Pam Bondi, the Republican Attorney General of Florida, has written letters to the mayors of 32 cities. She threatens them and many of the county executives with criminal prosecution if they refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The letters pointedly address the troubling issue of “sanctuary city” designations. They call on state and local leaders to respect federal immigration laws. This move comes in the wake of a newly updated list of such “sanctuary jurisdictions” released by the Department on August 5.
In her letters, Bondi cites an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump on April 28, which mandated the identification of jurisdictions that “obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.” As Bondi explains, these listed areas may be subject to litigation or at risk of losing federal funding. She challenges the requirement for local leaders to match their policies with the new feds.
“You better be abiding by our federal policies and with our federal law enforcement, because if you’re not, we’re going to come after you,” Bondi stated in her correspondence.
Bondi’s letters go to a number of mayors and other key local leaders. Among the well-known current recipients are Bruce Harrell, mayor of Seattle and Eric Adams, mayor of New York City. Harrell, meanwhile, has gone on record opposing the letter’s characterization of Seattle and its public safety laws, which he said are false. He underscored that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, as well as clarified that Seattle does not actively break up that work.
“We have received and are reviewing the latest letter from Attorney General Bondi and strongly disagree with its assertions. Our laws and policies protect the safety, privacy, and constitutional rights of all Seattle residents while remaining compliant with applicable law.” – Bruce Harrell
Officials from New York City have already released statements disputing Bondi’s allegations. Kayla Altus, press secretary for Mayor Adams, underscored the administration’s acknowledgment that a safe environment is essential for the well-being of all New Yorkers. She emphasized that the metro region’s guiding policies are meant to make sure that residents never feel scared to call 911 in an emergency.
“The job of a mayor is to protect the safety of every single person in their city – and that’s exactly what Mayor Adams has worked to do every day for nearly four years,” – Kayla Altus
Chicago and Rochester, NY are currently under investigation by the Department of Justice for their noncompliance with the sanctuary policies. More recently, a federal district court in the eastern district of Illinois similarly dismissed meritless claims against Chicago. In the meantime, Rochester is still mired in an ongoing federal lawsuit with authorities. Barbara Pierce, communications director for the city of Rochester, dismissed Bondi’s letter as legally without merit.
“Nothing in Attorney General Bondi’s letter is new and none of it has legal merit,” – Barbara Pierce
Pierce commented that the arguments raised in Bondi’s letter mirror those rejected in a previous federal court ruling.
“The letter reiterates many of the frivolous arguments that the federal government has already made in its pending suit against the city of Rochester,” – Barbara Pierce
For her finale Bondi told the mayors of the offending bells to get back to her correspondences by August 19. She said that they needed to reaffirm their commitment to adhering to the law. She called on local leaders to focus on short term actions focused on removing any practices that may impede federal immigration enforcement.
Anti-immigrant tensions are growing between state and local enforcement authorities over immigration enforcement. Cities across the country are at a crossroads and it’s time for them to listen to Bondi’s warnings and revise their policies in anticipation of costly lawsuits.