USA TODAY
By Alan Gomez
Donald Trump, with a little help from Congress, will have broad presidential powers to crack down on “sanctuary cities” that protect undocumented immigrants from his planned roundup and deportation of millions who are in the country illegally.
In what could become a major conflict between the new president and local governments, the showdown likely will result in legal challenges testing how far the White House can go in dictating its priorities.
Trump will be armed with a range of powerful options, including federal lawsuits and the power to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in grants that states and cities rely on.
“The Trump administration can largely get the results it is seeking and a real meaningful end to most of these sanctuary policies through a combination of carrots and sticks,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, who has advised the Trump transition team on its immigration enforcement options. “The point is not to go around whacking all these little cities and counties, it’s to get them to do the right thing. And for the die-hards, to confront them.”