By Michelle Ye Hee Lee, washingtonpost.com
“So to all ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions across the country, I say this: Miami-Dade is doing it, and so can you. Work with us to enforce a lawful immigration system that keeps us safe and serves our national interest. … We have already seen that: The same Independence Day weekend when Chicago suffered more than 100 shootings and 15 homicides, Miami-Dade also had a historic number of shooting deaths — zero. I hope more jurisdictions follow Miami-Dade’s leadership by choosing to follow the law, because we all want to do the same thing: protect our families and defend our country.”
— Attorney General Jeff Sessions, speech in Miami, Aug. 15, 2017
In an effort to crack down on “sanctuary” jurisdictions, the Trump administration pulled federal grant funding from cities and counties that do not cooperate with federal immigration efforts.
Miami-Dade County is the only large jurisdiction to reverse its sanctuary policies under President Trump, and on Aug. 5, the Justice Department announced that the county is in compliance with new requirements for the grant.