Millions on the line for Seattle as Trump signs executive actions
Jan 25, 2017, 11:30 AM | Updated: 11:50 am
President Donald Trump signed executive actions Wednesday morning that not only appears to start the construction of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, but also block federal grants from “sanctuary cities” like Seattle.
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Though the White House did not provide copies of the documents to the press by mid-day, President Trump did “cast his action as fulfillment of his campaign pledge to enact hard-line immigration measures, the Associated Press reports.
Seattle passed an ordinance in 2003 denoting it as a “sanctuary city.” Seattle shields residents from federal immigration authorities. It prevents police from asking residents about immigration status without a reasonable suspicion that the person had “previously been deported from the United States,” and is or has “committed a felony criminal law violation.”
Right after the presidential election, Mayor Ed Murray said the city would remain a sanctuary city despite President Trump’s threats that he would pull federal funding from local governments that wouldn’t cooperate. Murray backed that message up on Inauguration Day, as he promoted free legal services for immigrants and refugee families and said the city would remain committed to inclusion.
But President Trump is doing more than just making threats. On Tuesday he tweeted that he had a “big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY.”
Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
Trump campaigned on pledges to tighten U.S. immigration policies, including strengthening border security and stemming the flow of refugees, the Associated Press reports. He called for halting entry to the U.S. from Muslim countries but later shifted the policy to a focus on what he called “extreme vetting” for those coming from countries with terrorism ties.
A loss in federal grants could have a major impact on Seattle, which most heavily relies on the federal government for human services and public health programs, The Seattle Times reports. In 2015, the city spent more than $85 million in federal funding, which did not include money that first passed through the state level, according to the Times. The city spent $11.5 million of federal funding for homeless programs, and the Seattle Department of Transportation spent $14.8 million in federal money, the Times reports. Other departments, including the housing and police departments, receive millions in federal funding.
