Mayors spar with Trump over sanctuary city policies

Mayors of several so-called sanctuary cities boycotted a planned meeting at the White House on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Justice warned it would revoke federal funding if they refused to turn over documentation on immigrants detained in criminal investigations. President Donald Trump blasted the boycotters, accusing them of putting the needs of “criminal illegal immigrants over law-abiding Americans.” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said the administration wanted to “use cities as political props in the process” of demonizing immigrants. On Wednesday, the Justice Department sent letters to two-dozen jurisdictions threatening to subpoena documents about the immigration status of people in custody, information that would prove the cities are in compliance with federal law. If local officials don’t provide the requested information, the Trump administration could revoke millions of dollars in federal grants. The fight over immigration law enforcement has prompted lawsuits in Chicago, Philadelphia, and California, with local officials insisting it’s not their job to round up people who violate federal laws.