"From now on, the Department will only provide Byrne JAG grants to cities and states that comply with federal law, allow federal immigration access to detention facilities, and provide 48 hours notice before they release an illegal alien wanted by federal authorities," the release stated on Tuesday.
Cities and counties in the United States that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants by disallowing information on their status to be provided to federal authorities are called sanctuary cities.
Sessions reiterated his earlier statements that sanctuary cities harbor illegal immigrants who pose threat to US national security. He said the existing policy aids human trafficking and illustrated the claim with an incident in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday, where police found eight dead people along in a trailer at a parking lot.
On January 25, president Donald Trump ordered the resumption of the 2008 Secure Communities program that relied on information-sharing among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and deport immigrants with criminal records.
