A White House spokesman said it was “disgusting” for Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney (D) to laugh and dance in celebration after a court ruled in favor of the city’s so-called “sanctuary city” policies.
“Many people in Philadelphia have been killed, raped or assaulted at the hands of criminal illegal aliens,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told Fox News on Thursday.
“It’s disgusting the mayor would dance in celebration of a lawless decision that allows these dangerous criminal,” he added.
Kenney’s deputy chief of staff Steve Preston posted a Twitter video of Kenney and chief of staff Jane Slusser dancing and giving each other a high-five following the court’s decision.
In the video, Kenney emerges from a door singing, “We are a sanctuary city.”
U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration cannot withhold law enforcement grants over city officials’ “sanctuary city” policies.
In his ruling, Baylson said Philadelphia was not allowing anyone involved in criminal conduct to escape law enforcement investigations, prosecutions or imprisonment.
“There is no evidence on the record whatsoever that non-citizens in Philadelphia commit any more crimes than the citizens,” the judge said in his ruling.
The White House has repeatedly slammed sanctuary city policies for limiting local authorities’ cooperation with federal officials on immigration enforcement. President Trump last year signed an executive order to restrict funding, though a federal judge filed an injunction to permanently block the order.
Despite Trump’s vows to cut funding from sanctuary cities, a report last month found that the Homeland Security Department still authorized $1.7 billion in grants to states that adopted “sanctuary” policies.