Trump Suggests States with Sanctuary City Policies Would Be Denied Coronavirus Relief

In remarks to reporters, President Donald Trump suggested that relief funds from the federal government “could hinge on whether the immigration policies of the individual governments seeking relief align with Trump administration priorities,” according

to Politico.

“I think there’s a big difference with a state that lost money because of covid and a state that’s been run very badly for 25 years,” Trump said

during a meeting with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R). “There’s a big difference, in my opinion. And you know, we’d have to talk about things like payroll tax cuts. We’d have to talk about things like sanctuary cities, as an example. I think sanctuary cities is something that has to be brought up where people who are criminals are protected, they are protected from prosecution.”

“I think that has to be done. I think it’s one of the problems that the states have. I don’t even think they know they have a problem, but they have a big problem with the sanctuary situation,” he added.

The president made similar remarks on Twitter earlier this week.

“Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as [an] example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help?” he wrote at the time.