Trump links sanctuary cuts to 'affordable' immigration enforcement push, says 'crime would go down'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said he plans to cut significant federal funding to sanctuary cities, confirming that the move is tied to his push to enforce immigration laws.

He described ending support for those cities and strengthening enforcement as the most “affordable” actions his administration can take. He also argued that crime rates are falling, criticized Democratic leaders over sanctuary city policies, and emphasized efforts to secure the border, saying the achievement has not received enough credit. 

In a recent one-on-one interview with Larry Kudlow, Trump discussed his administration’s efforts to crack down on narcotics across the country. 

Trump backs immigration enforcement, sanctuary city cuts

During an interaction with Fox Business host Kudlow, Trump answered a series of related questions ahead of the midterm elections. Kudlow said, "It just seems to me in general here. We're large if you abide by the immigration laws. Stop all this Sanctuary City business. That's the most affordable thing possible, you save."

Trump agreed and voiced support for stricter enforcement. He pointed to Senator Lindsey Graham’s push to end sanctuary policies and said he fully backs the effort.

Breaking down the "affordability" quote on defunding sanctuary cities, Kudlow raised the example of New York and claimed the city spent billions supporting migrants. He added, "I mean, it seems to me if those laws are upheld, if Sanctuary cities, for example, are defunded as some have talked about."

He continued, "Lindsey Graham has talked about that's an affordability issue. They're a huge savings there, and you can go after the waste fraud."

Responding, Trump said, "So Lindsey Graham is really hot on getting rid of sanctuary. I'm backing him 100 per cent, we got to do it, and we're hot, and it's security act you could call it, but we have to do it."

The president slammed Democratic sanctuary policies. He said, "You know, Sanctuary cities are only good for people. It's, it's. Story for criminals. Okay, they are protecting criminals. Those States could hand those people over to us. A crime would go down. We'd get them out of the country. They can't do what we can do. We can get them out of the country. They can't do it."

He added, "But their sanctuaries for criminals, they have the word, they have killers. They have dr*g lords, and they have Tren de Aragua all over the place. Now, with that being said, we have the strongest border in the history of our country."

Talking about crime rates and the border, Trump argued that tougher border actions have reduced illegal crossings and dr*g flow.

He said, "We have Democrat people giving us the statistics that no people have come into our country illegally. In the last several months, even I can't believe that totally, but I'll take it. But essentially, no people have come in. Nobody's coming through our border. They only come in legally. We've done an unbelievable job."

He also said, "I don't think we've given any credit one of the problems. I find in politics, so I got elected to a large extent on the border. I've done such a good job on the border that nobody wants to talk about it anymore. Like when I mentioned border sir, they don't want to hear about it."

Trump continued, "You solve that problem. I don't get any credit for anything. I mean, I do these things. You would say, I've done a great job at the border, right? Nobody is coming in. We have a strong border. Dr*gs are way down, you know? By knocking out those boats we drop, we have dropped d*ugs spent until about 33 per cent."

DOJ list targets sanctuary cities funding

Trump did not name the exact cities or states he wants to target when he warned about cutting “significant” federal funding to sanctuary areas. However, in August, the Department of Justice (DOJ) shared a list of more than 30 cities, states, and counties that limit cooperation with immigration officials.

The list included the state of Minnesota, though it did not name Minneapolis, St Paul, or their counties. While speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump said he was focusing on places that do not fully cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This is not the first time Trump has made this threat. During his first term, he tried to block some federal funding from sanctuary cities. About a year ago, he signed an order directing the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to list sanctuary cities and cut their funding.