Lindsey Graham reveals Trump’s push to end sanctuary city policies ‘forever’ amid Minnesota unrest

WASHINGTON, DC: Republican Sen Lindsey Graham said President Trump is gearing up for a full-court press against sanctuary city policies.

Speaking on Fox News with Sean Hannity, the South Carolina Republican blasted sanctuary jurisdictions as breeding grounds for fraud and lawlessness. He said Trump is actively working with lawmakers to eliminate them nationwide.

Lindsey Graham says Trump pushing Senate bill to end sanctuary cities

Graham said he recently spoke directly with Trump about unrest in Minnesota and how the White House plans to handle sanctuary cities moving forward.

While Graham suggested Trump would be “reasonable” with Minneapolis leaders as tensions flare over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, he made clear that the president will not back down on sanctuary policies.

“What Donald Trump is not going to do is avoid dealing with sanctuary city policy,” Graham said. “President Trump is working with me and others to introduce a bill to go to the floor of the United States Senate to end sanctuary city policy forever, to eliminate it.”

Graham warned that states refusing to fall in line would face consequences. “All the 12 states who are doing this will be punished if they don't change,” he said. “You can never have law and order with sanctuary city policies.”

Trump echoed that message on Sunday in a Truth Social post, calling on Congress to pass legislation to “end” sanctuary jurisdictions altogether.

Minnesota tensions fuel Trump push against sanctuary cities

The renewed push comes as the Trump administration faces tensions with Minnesota officials following confrontations between ICE agents and local agitators. 

On January 24, Border Patrol agents fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti, the second Minneapolis resident killed by federal agents this year. In the aftermath, the White House appeared to recalibrate its approach. Trump reassigned Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino from Minneapolis and dispatched border czar Tom Homan to the state.

Minnesota Gov Tim Walz and Trump later described a phone call as productive. Homan arrived in Minnesota  and met separately with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Walz’s office said they “agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals.”

The cooperation marked a temporary cooling of tensions after Homan’s arrival, though divisions remain. As the Trump administration pressed local officials to honor ICE detainer requests, Frey said he would not help enforce federal immigration laws.

Graham argued that sanctuary laws in 12 states remain deeply divisive and are “the source of the problem.”

“It literally incentivizes more illegal immigration,” he told “Hannity.” “It's a massive invitation to fraud, and it breaks down law and order. And what happened in Minnesota is a result of a state ignoring the law that's there to help the people.”

The debate is unfolding as funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire on January 30, with Senate Democrats pushing for ICE reforms and spending cuts.

Trump unveils crackdown on sanctuary states, fraud abuse

Trump used an address at the Detroit Economic Club to outline a sweeping set of immigration enforcement and fraud-prevention measures. He said his administration would issue 90-day notices to states such as California, requiring them to cooperate in returning individuals who entered the US illegally.

Trump also announced that federal payments to sanctuary cities and states with sanctuary policies would be halted starting February 1, arguing that the financial burden of supporting undocumented migrants is unsustainable.

“No country can afford to take in millions of people and pay for their education, health care, and hospitals,” Trump said, while slamming states that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The president also highlighted fraud enforcement efforts, claiming that nearly 8,000 Small Business Administration loans in Minnesota had been suspended due to suspected misuse. He said the Justice Department has already filed charges against close to 100 individuals tied to alleged criminal conspiracies in the state.

As part of the crackdown, Trump announced plans to create a new “legal strike force” within the Justice Department to investigate fraud. It will be overseen by a newly appointed attorney general.

He added that his administration would seek to revoke citizenship from naturalized immigrants convicted of fraud and deport individuals with criminal records, regardless of where they come from.