White House tried to pressure U.S. immigration officials to release detainees into 'sanctuary cities' to target Trump's foes
President Trump on Dec. 7, 2018, criticized local officials who have refused to work with federal immigration authorities. White House officials have tried to pressure U.S. immigration authorities to release detainees onto the streets of “sanctuary cities” to retaliate against President Trump’s political adversaries, according to Department of Homeland Security officials and email messages reviewed by The Washington Post.
After the White House pressed again in February, ICE’s legal department rejected the idea as inappropriate and rebuffed the administration. “The extent of this administration’s cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated,” said Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne. “Using human beings — including little children — as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable.”
Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller discussed the proposal with ICE, according to two DHS officials. Matthew Albence, who is ICE’s acting deputy director, immediately questioned the proposal in November and later circulated the idea within his agency when it resurfaced in February, seeking the legal review that ultimately doomed the proposal. Miller and Albence declined to comment Thursday.
“It was basically an idea that Miller wanted that nobody else wanted to carry out,” said one congressional investigator who has spoken to one of the whistleblowers. “What happened here is that Stephen Miller called people at ICE, said if they’re going to cut funding you’ve got to make sure you’re releasing people in Pelosi’s district and other congressional districts.” The investigator spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect the whistleblower.
“The idea has been raised by 1-2 principals that, if we are unable to build sufficient temporary housing, that caravan members be bussed to small- and mid-sized sanctuary cities,” Davis wrote, seeking responses to its operational and legal viability. “There is NOT a White House decision on this.” The White House urged ICE to channel releases to sanctuary districts, regardless of whether immigrants had any ties to those places.
“If we would have done that, we would have had to expend transportation resources, and make a decision that we’re going to use buses, planes, etc. to send these aliens to a place for whatever reason,” a senior DHS official said. “We had to come up with a reason, and we did not have one.” Vitiello’s removal from ICE last week was followed Sunday by the ouster of DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who lost favor with Trump and Miller by repeatedly warning the White House that the administration’s policy ideas were unworkable and likely to be blocked by federal courts.
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