President Donald Trump's administration is conditioning nearly $1 billion in public safety grants on local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, a move critics argue is designed to exclude Democratic-led cities.
Approximately $700 million flows through the existing COPS grant program. NPR reports this new $300 million Model Cities Initiative will go to just two to four cities, bypassing standard competitive peer-review processes, explained Amy Solomon, senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and former head of the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs.
Any program that impedes or hinders federal immigration enforcement will not receive funding, according to the mandate. This includes failing to honor requests from the Department of Homeland Security.
Legal experts warn the approach is highly unusual, with critics predicting only Republican-led jurisdictions will apply, allowing the administration to portray Democrats as soft on crime.
Police chiefs have long opposed linking local law enforcement to immigration enforcement, citing erosion of community trust and witness cooperation. Federal data shows over 70 percent of immigrant detainees lack criminal convictions.
The DOJ defended the policy, while the first Trump administration's similar tactic was previously challenged in court and reversed under Former President Joe Biden.
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