In more big news for supporters of President Donald Trump who want to see him take a wrecking ball to the illegal immigration complex that many Democrats have taken to strongly defending, the Democrat-run city of Louisville, Kentucky, has reversed course and nixed its sanctuary policies after facing serious legal threats from the DOJ.
As background, all over America, Democrat-ruled jurisdictions have taken to becoming “sanctuary” jurisdictions in which local agents of the government and law enforcement officers are directed not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Generally, this means that when illegal aliens are arrested, they won’t be reported to ICE or other relevant federal authorities.
The DOJ has engaged in a full-court press of lawsuits and challenges meant to eradicate those sanctuary policies, and so far has met with some success. Particularly, Louisville has decided to back off its sanctuary policies and instead cooperate with federal immigration authorities by reporting illegal aliens.
Such is what Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced during a Tuesday, July 22, press conference, explaining that the city will back off the sanctuary policies by reinstating a 48-hour hold for “inmates who are arrested for crimes, are booked in our jail and are subject to deportation notices.” That hold will allow federal officers to take custody of illegal aliens.
Explaining why Louisville retreated from its sanctuary stance, Mayor Greenberg explained that the Trump Administration would otherwise have slashed financial support for the city, which would have put vulnerable populations within it at risk, as the funds would no longer be there to help destitute residents.
Commenting on that aspect of the situation, Mayor Greenberg noted, “Louisville stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants if we remain classified as a sanctuary city.” He added, “Many of those funds are used to provide food, rental assistance and medical care to our most vulnerable residents. I will not risk hurting them either.”
He further added that the 48-hour detainer is what the federal government wanted, and thus the authorities will start engaging in it immediately. He said, “I have been assured by the U.S. Department of Justice that, if we reinstate the 48-hour detainers for inmates who’ve been arrested for crimes, Louisville will be taken off the federal sanctuary city list. Accordingly, Metro Corrections will begin honoring 48-hour federal detainers as soon as practical because the stakes are too high.”
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Mayor Greenberg then added that, in exchange for the detainer policy, Louisville would not face the full brunt of federal force and action, as other sanctuary cities have. He said, “In turn, Louisville will no longer be considered a ‘sanctuary city’ by the federal government. This change in designation is critical. Cities on the sanctuary city list right now are experiencing a terrifying increase in raids by ICE, including mass raids. Just look at what’s gone on in LA and other cities across the country.”
Watch Mayor Greenberg here:
Attorney General Pam Bondi, posting about the matter on X, celebrated Louisville deciding to back off its sanctuary policies as a major win for the DOJ, saying, “In a major victory for the Department of Justice, the city of Louisville is dropping its sanctuary city policies as a result of a strong written warning from my office.”
Continuing, she argued that other cities should follow the same path so as to save themselves from facing a federal crackdown. She said, “This should set an example to other cities. Instead of forcing us to sue you — which we will, without hesitation — follow the law, get rid of sanctuary policies, and work with us to fix the illegal immigration crisis.”