St. Paul, Minneapolis join lawsuit against President Trump's federal funding freeze over immigration enforcement
St. Paul and Minneapolis joined San Francisco on Wednesday in suing President Trump over threats to withhold federal funds from cities that interfere with immigration enforcement.
"In St. Paul, we are currently relying on approximately $260 million on receivable federal funding," St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said.
The mayor says those funds go to a lot: paid internships, replacing lead service lines, Como Zoo construction costs, pothole filling, crime reduction programs and more. Now, it could be wiped.
"We do not accept those dollars, resources that our residents rely on being held hostage," Carter said.
In a late-January executive order titled "Protecting The American People Against Invasion," Mr. Trump threatened to withhold funds from so-called "sanctuary cities" like Minnesota's capitol.
On Tuesday, the White House called out St. Paul, saying officials in sanctuary cities like it are "sick politicians who want killers, rapists roaming our streets."
"Any sanctuary city that purposely releases a public safety threat back into the public is stupid," Tom Homan, United States Border Czar, said.
It wasn't long after St. Paul said it was joining the litigation against the president that Minneapolis said it was, too.
"For more than two decades through its separation ordinance, Minneapolis has prioritized using its resources for the health and safety of the entire Minneapolis community," a City of Lakes spokesperson said. "The City's policy is clear: 'the city does not operate its programs for the purpose of enforcing Federal immigration laws.' To preserve this separation between municipal services and federal immigration enforcement, stop federal government overreach, and protect the Minneapolis community, the City of Minneapolis will join the San Francisco v. Trump lawsuit."
In Spanish, one St. Paul resident originally from Mexico told WCCO that many people in the community are afraid and unsure of who to trust — which is what St. Paul's mayor doesn't want.
"Our most sacred job as municipal leaders is ensuring that every single resident and business and person who comes into our city knows that they can confidently look for help," Carter said. "If you live in St. Paul, my top promise to you is that if your neighbor smells smoke from their house, we're going to make sure they feel safe calling 911."
According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 20,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested during the first month of Mr. Trump's second term.
