Democratic politicians, including mayors in three major cities, are looking to use millions in taxpayer funds to protect illegal immigrants in their cities from deportation.
Mayors of Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco are looking to create funds to provide attorneys to illegal immigrants who face deportation, the Wall Street Journal reports.
If these efforts succeed, the amount of taxpayer money set aside to protect illegal immigrants will easily be in the millions. California alone will consider a bill that may cost between $10-80 million per year. Los Angeles has already set aside $10 million for an immigrant defense fund.
Defendants in immigration court do not have guaranteed legal representation, unlike those in criminal court.
Donald Trump’s victory in November’s presidential election has spurred the efforts by Democratic legislators to protect illegals from immigration enforcement, as sanctuary cities face the threat of Trump’s plan to cut federal funding to them immediately once he gets into office.
After Trump’s win, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said “Chicago will always be a sanctuary city.”
Sanctuary cities that could be in for a fight with the incoming Trump administration over their funding include New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver.