ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—On Friday, September 15, 2017, a federal judge in Chicago ruled that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions cannot withhold federal grant money from cities that don’t enforce federal immigration policies. The temporary injunction applies nationwide.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico previously condemned Attorney General Sessions’ attempt to bully the City of Albuquerque into enforcing federal immigration law after the city received a letter from Sessions threatening to withhold a federal grant if it did not agree to cooperate with ICE.
The ACLU of New Mexico celebrates this ruling as a victory and the following statement can be attributed to Maria Martinez Sanchez, staff attorney with the ACLU of New Mexico.
“This ruling affirms what we already know: Attorney Jeff Sessions is overstepping his authority by threatening to withhold money we can use for public safety in exchange for enforcing federal immigration law. His attempts to bully our local law enforcement into being immigration officers are nothing short of coercive and dangerous.”
