WASHINGTON – The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to reject three lawsuits over a Trump era immigration policy that has led some areas to declare themselves “sanctuary cities”.
The policy was part of an effort to get police departments to notify federal authorities when noncitizens were about to be released from custody.
In what started without much conviction with former President Barack Obama and increased with former President Donald Trump, the Justice Department sought to suspend federal subsidies to local governments that refused to tell immigration officers when people in their custody were about to be released. The government also wanted access to local prisons so that immigration officers could question non-citizens in custody.
In brief letters to the Federal Supreme Court, the Justice Department said the cases should be closed, indicating that the government will no longer seek to enforce the policy.
The Trump administration was at odds with many major cities because of federal detention requests, issued by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, asking the police and the sheriff’s offices to arrest detainees for up to 48 hours after they have served their sentences. The requests applied to people illegally in the United States who had been convicted of committing local crimes and could be deported after being released.
After federal courts blocked the attempt, the Justice Department sought to be notified before the noncitizens were released, sparking a new round of lawsuits.
Several lower federal courts said that local authorities had no duty to assist immigration officers in enforcing federal law, and some states and cities have passed what is known as sanctuary laws expressly forbidding the police from providing information about noncitizens. in your custody. Supporters said the laws make communities safer by encouraging illegal crime victims to cooperate with the police.
