‘We will not be bullied’ by feds, King County exec. says

King County Executive Dow Constantine says he will not allow the remarks made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday to interfere with local government.

Related: Seattle mayor ‘willing to risk losing every penny’ over ‘sanctuary’ status

“The White House continues to use fear to try to divide us,” he said. “Their intent is clear, but the legal authority is not. If this is about complying with federal law, King County should continue to receive federal funds for important criminal justice programs.

“If this is about coercing a local jurisdiction to imprison people without judicial process then no, we will not be bullied — we will continue to honor the Constitution, rather than the extrajudicial orders of any person, including the president. That may or may not put some Department of Justice funding to communities like ours at risk. If this order is a precursor to an attempt to withhold other federal funds, the White House will face legal challenges. Case law restricts the federal government’s ability to place extraneous conditions on spending and grants for state and local governments.”

Sessions announced that “sanctuary” jurisdictions will not receive grants from the Department of Justice.

Last week, the King and Snohomish counties were both shamed by the Department of Homeland Security for not complying with ICE detainer requests. Detainer requests allow people to be held in jail for potential immigration-related violations.

Constantine says the county will only honor detainer requests if accompanied by an appropriate, legal order.

“That is consistent with the Constitution, and our values,” he said, adding that the announcement by Sessions “attempts to undermine both.”

King County could lose millions if the feds follow through with the threat.

The funding the county is scheduled to receive from the U.S. Department of Justice during the 2017-2018 biennium includes:

• $1 million to King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention

• $400,000 to Office of Performance, Strategy, and Budget for recidivism/reentry coordinator

• $90,000 to King County Sheriff’s Office for trauma-informed domestic violence training

• $1,146,028 to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for firearms cases

• $250,153 to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for domestic violence cases

• $454,857 to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for cases involving youth

• $175,027 to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for victims of crime assistance

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