Bondi Expands Federal Push Against Sanctuary Policies

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a multi-pronged federal push aimed at ending sanctuary policies, saying the Justice Department has sent demand letters to sanctuary cities, counties, and states across the country. The letters, she said, are part of a coordinated effort directed by the White House and federal agencies to identify jurisdictions that obstruct immigration enforcement and to warn of potential consequences, including changes to federal funding. In a separate development unfolding in Washington, D.C., Bondi moved to dismantle local directives that limited cooperation between the city’s police and federal immigration authorities, appointing a federal administrator with broad police powers to oversee enforcement during a 30-day emergency.

Bondi’s communications describe a long-standing framework in which federal, state, and local authorities cooperate to enforce immigration laws. She said the President directed the Attorney General, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, to identify sanctuary jurisdictions and notify them of their supposed unlawful sanctuary status and possible federal law violations. The letters warn that jurisdictions that...