Pelosi calls Trump ‘sanctuary city’ proposal ‘unworthy of the presidency’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday took a swipe at a Trump White House proposal to retaliate against political enemies by releasing detained migrants in “sanctuary cities” in Democratic strongholds, calling the half-hatched plan “disrespectful” and “unworthy of the presidency.”  

One of the congressional districts identified by the Trump administration was Pelosi’s liberal San Francisco district, according to The Washington Post.

{mosads}“I don’t know anything about it, but again, it’s just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful of the challenges that we face as a county, as a people, to address who we are: a nation of immigrants,” Pelosi told reporters as House Democrats closed out their three-day policy retreat in Virginia.

Trump tweeted on Friday that the proposal was indeed being considered, after officials suggested the idea had been tossed aside.

“Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only,” Trump wrote in a tweet.

Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019

….The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019

A day earlier, the Post reported that top Trump aides last fall had pressured immigration agencies to transport and release immigrants, who had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in so-called sanctuary cities, places where local authorities do not cooperate with ICE, denying the agency information or resources.

According to the Post, the White House informed ICE that the plan was designed to help alleviate overcrowding at migrant detention centers on the border, but also to send a political message to Democrats.

Top ICE officials rejected the plan, telling the White House that it was riddled with budget and legal liabilities and could be a public-relations nightmare, the Post reported.

“If it’s true, it is very unfortunate and to be condemned,” Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said of the news reports. “That you could use ICE — or any other federal agency — to penalize or to visit retribution for political reasons, that’s not the act of a democratic government.”