Report: Sanctuary cities to see federal funding paused; city of Seattle responds

New U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is expected to issue several major directives in her opening days leading the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including the agency pausing all federal funding for sanctuary cities, according to a Fox News Digital report published Wednesday.

Details of Bondi’s plan have not officially been announced.

Seattle and a group of several other cities in the state of Washington have declared themselves sanctuary cities.

Bondi’s possible order would apply to cities that house undocumented immigrants.

The city of Seattle responds to the sanctuary cities report

A spokesperson from the city of Seattle sent a statement to KIRO Newsradio Wednesday afternoon about the potential order and reported it had not received any direction or orders from the federal government in that regard.

“Currently, the City has not received any memo or directive from the DOJ and we are not aware of any federal funding to our departments being impacted,” Callie Craighead, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s press secretary, said in her statement.

Craighead went on to explain the enforcement of immigration law is done exclusively by the federal government and the city does not get in the way.

“The City and its employees follow federal and state law in all circumstances,” the statement reads. “Immigration law and enforcement is solely the domain of the federal government and the City does not interfere with, nor carry out, the federal government’s duties.”

The statement from the mayor’s office then outlined a series of actions the mayor’s office has taken to respond to any potential order that may come from the federal government.

“Recently, Mayor Harrell issued a Mayoral Directive to all executive branch departments regarding federal immigration enforcement to ensure that as a city, our policies protect the safety, privacy, and constitutional rights of Seattleites while complying with applicable law,” Craighead said in her statement. “The mayor also recently met with several immigrant, refugee, and asylee community-based organizations to discuss anticipated needs and solutions we can work on together. The Mayor’s Office will closely collaborate with our state and county governments and cities across the nation in ensuring coordinated and strategic responses.”

Craighead also issued a reminder that protections are in place that can limit what the federal government can do and how it can coerce cities to act.

“Strong constitutional protections exist that limit the federal government’s ability to coerce cities by conditioning funds. We will continue to assess actions that impact Seattle’s access to federal funding that supports all of our residents and respond appropriately. ”

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More on Pam Bondi’s plans and her confirmation

Fox News Digital stated it has obtained documents outlining Bondi’s plans, which will lay the groundwork for the Justice Department under her leadership.

“Those plans will feature sweeping changes in multiple areas. including orders to combat the weaponization of the legal system; make prosecutors seek the death penalty when appropriate; and work with the Department of Homeland Security to “completely eliminate” cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” Fox’s report reads.

The Senate confirmed Bondi as attorney general Tuesday, putting a longtime ally of President Donald Trump at the helm of a DOJ that has already been rattled by the firings of career employees seen as disloyal to the Republican president.

The vote fell almost entirely along party lines, with only Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, joining with all Republicans to pass her confirmation 54-46.

Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and corporate lobbyist, is expected to oversee a radical reshaping of the department that has been the target of Trump’s ire over the criminal cases it brought against him.

Republicans have praised Bondi as a highly qualified leader they contend will bring much-needed change to a department they believe unfairly pursued Trump through investigations resulting in two indictments.

“Pam Bondi has promised to get the department back to its core mission: prosecuting crime and protecting Americans from threats to their safety and their freedoms,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

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But Bondi has faced intense scrutiny over her close relationship with the president, who during his term fired an FBI director who refused to pledge loyalty to him and forced out an attorney general who recused himself from the Justice Department’s investigation into potential ties between Russia and his 2016 presidential campaign.

While Bondi has sought to reassure Democrats that politics would play no part in her decision-making, she also refused at her confirmation hearing last month to rule potential investigations into Trump’s adversaries.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Matt Markovich often covers the state legislature and public policy for KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Matt’s stories here. Follow him on X, or email him here.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.