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A federal judge has dealt Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III yet another blow in his ongoing war on so-called sanctuary cities, ruling that the administration can’t withhold federal dollars due to the city’s refusal to go all-in with Donald Trump’s mass deportation force:
U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson said in his decision issued Wednesday that he weighed the public interest and possible harm that could come from the withholding of such funds.
The city filed suit against Attorney General Jeff Sessions in August.
Sessions has said that cities that don't help enforce immigration law are endangering public safety, especially when it comes to sharing information about immigrants who have been accused of crimes.
The Justice Department has threatened to cut off millions of dollars in federal grants to cities if they don't meet certain criteria for cooperating with immigration officials.
For Philadelphia, about $1.6 million was a stake.
Of course, the fact is that so-called sanctuary city policies actually make localities safer, because immigrant residents are able to trust local law enforcement enough to report crimes, which makes communities safer. Sessions has been pretty forgetful lately, but if there’s one thing that never leaves his mind, it’s making life as miserable as possible for immigrant families. And so long as he’s attorney general (despite repeatedly lying to Congress), he’ll keep at it.