New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was quick to react to President Donald Trump’s pronouncement on funding to sanctuary cities a day ago, emphasizing the five boroughs wouldn’t cede to his threats.
Trump dropped the news in a Tuesday speech at the Detroit Economic Club. Without offering specifics, he said, starting on Feb. 1, he would deny federal funding to any states whose local governments are perceived as resisting his administration’s immigration agenda. Such an action could have far-reaching impacts.
Mamdani, at an unrelated press conference, said he reached out to Trump to express, “my sharp opposition to this decision and to make my values clear.”
“I will always continue to do so, whether to the president or to all New Yorkers, to be honest about where I actually stand,” Mamdani added. “I’ve yet to hear back from the president.”
Mamdani did say he had texted with Trump since the two met in the Oval Office a few months back.
“Those texts, the conversations that we’ve had, they always come back to New York City and the importance of delivering for the people who call this city home,” Mamdani said.
Two previous efforts by Trump to cut off funding for sanctuary jurisdictions were shut down by courts. Mamdani said he was confident the city would win the legal battle again in this case.
The president’s Tuesday announcement reverberated across the United States, as local and state leaders raced to respond to his latest push to advance his administration’s immigration policies.
“Starting Feb. 1, we’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities, because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens and it breeds fraud and crime and all of the other problems that come,” Trump said. “So we’re not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary cities.”
Later, back in Washington, Trump was asked by reporters what kind of funding would be affected on Feb 1.
“You’ll see,” he said. “It’ll be significant.”
There is no strict definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities, but the terms generally describe limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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