A new memo issued by President Donald J. Trump‘s Department of Justice (DOJ) is putting state and local officials on notice who intend to interfere, resist, or hamper federal immigration enforcement actions. Authored by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, the document outlines the DOJ’s position that state and local sanctuary laws do not shield government officials from prosecution for interfering in federal actions.
Additionally, the Trump DOJ memo states that federal prosecutors who fail to enforce United States immigration laws will be referred to the department for investigation and potential prosecution. The DOJ’s civil division is also directed to identify so-called “sanctuary” laws that “threaten to impede” federal immigration enforcement actions and prepare court challenges to the state and local statutes.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests,” Bove’s memo reads. It continues: “The U.S. Attorney’s Offices and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution.”
The National Pulse reported on Tuesday that the Trump White House border czar, Tom Homan, announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids are already underway. Homan, a former acting ICE director, said: “ICE teams are out there as of today. We gave them a direction to prioritize public safety threats; they’re what we’re looking for. So, we’re working up the target list.”