Washington D.C.– President Trump’s pick for Attorney General, Pam Bondi, was sworn in on February 5, 2025.
Bondi’s first-day objectives included withholding funding from “sanctuary cities.”
Sanctuary cities are cities in which there are laws limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. This is generally done by preventing federal agencies from using local resources to identify, detain, or deport individuals based on their immigration status. Sanctuary cities include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., among others.
“[T]he Department of Justice will ensure that, consistent with law, ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ do not receive access to Federal funds from the Department,” Bondi stated. “Consistent with applicable statutes, regulations, court orders, and terms, the Department of Justice shall pause the distribution of all funds until a review has been completed, terminate any agreements that are in violation of law or are the source of waste, fraud, or abuse, and initiate clawback or recoupment procedures, where appropriate.”
Bondi’s memo orders a 60-day pause on fund distribution to sanctuary cities. This allows time to properly review funding and ensure laws are being followed. The DOJ will be prohibited from entering any new contracts, grants, or other agreements to support or services funding for ‘removable or illegal aliens’ to non-federal organizations.
This move was confirmed by a court order in 2020, which found that the DOJ was legally allowed to deny grants to cities that refused cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents.
This order closely follows the deportation initiatives put into place during the first week of President Trump’s second term. His initial deportation push focused on illegal immigrants who have been charged or convicted of crimes.
“To protect the American people from the effects of unlawful mass migration, President Trump has prioritized securing our nation’s border and enforcing federal immigration laws,” a memo from Bondi’s office states. “In furtherance of that objective, the Department of Justice will ensure that, consistent with law, ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ do not receive access to federal funds from the Department.”
Bondi plans to assist President Trump in his priority of securing borders and immigration laws during his second term. It is unsure how this pause will impact sanctuary cities and individuals in the following 60 days.
