Analyst Questions Legality of Trump Proposal to Cut Sanctuary City Funding

WNYC News | Dec 1, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to deport millions of immigrants from the country, and has threatened to cut off federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities like New York that refuse to cooperate.

But some analysts are questioning whether it would even be legal for Trump or Congress to withhold funding. Speaking to WNYC's Brian Lehrer last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio raised that very question. 

"I think the first thing is to recognize that from what I know so far because of a decision by the Supreme Court, no president's in a position to cut off funding across the board. It has to be very specific to the matter at hand," de Blasio said.

For more on that Supreme Court decision, and the legal complexities of when cities limit how they cooperate with federal immigration rules, WNYC's Jami Floyd spoke with law professor Gillian Metzger from Columbia Law School.

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