Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen confirmed Tuesday that her department has asked federal prosecutors to begin the process of lodging criminal charges against sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal deportation efforts.
“The Department of Justice is reviewing what avenues might be available,” Nielsen told California Sen. Kamala Harris during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing.
Harris had asked Nielsen about comments made recently by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan.
Nielsen defended her agency’s request to DOJ.
“The context of this is of course not only putting my ICE officers at risk but also finding an efficient and effective way to enforce our immigration laws,” she told Harris.
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The Trump administration released a list of hard-line immigration principles late last year that the DACA deal in Congress would rely on.
The administration’s wish list includes the funding of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a
