Judge’s Ruling a Victory for American Values

MILWAUKEE – A federal judge has blocked President Trump‘s executive order that sought to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities. The judge’s order does not block the federal government from enforcing conditions on federal grants, such as Department of Justice grants that Milwaukee County receives for training local law enforcement.

Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic released the following statement:

“Tuesday’s ruling by a federal judge that blocked the President’s executive order banning federal funding for so-called sanctuary cities is a victory for all Americans who believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter where you come from.

“This is a victory for those of us who believe immigrant communities are essential to the health and vibrancy of our cities, and who believe that our immigrant neighbors shouldn’t have to live in fear because they want to create a better life for their children.

“The ruling is a victory to every parent who teaches their children to that it is important to stand up to bullies. The fact that the president threatened nearly 300 cities with losing all manner of important federal funds but had to back down proves that bullies often lose, no matter how powerful they might seem.

“President Trump needs to learn that Americans will continue to stand up and fight back against his racist policies and that we will never stop fighting to make sure the American Dream is accessible to everyone.”

Prior to Tuesday’s ruling, Milwaukee County had been asked to demonstrate its compliance with 8 USC 1373, which prohibits local and state governments from limiting communication with the Department of Homeland Security about the immigration status of individuals.

At issue is a 2012 county resolution that places conditions on honoring detainer requests from the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Immigration detainers are not mandatory. As the 2012 resolution does not restrict information sharing about immigration status, and given that the Milwaukee County Sheriff retains the authority to honor immigration detainers, Milwaukee County is not in violation of 8 USC 1373.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.