Trump wrote on Twitter: “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only.... The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!”
Trump’s comments come a day after his administration said the policy proposal was never seriously considered. But after the president’s Twitter posts Friday, a White House spokesman said Democrats should work with the administration to welcome migrants into their districts.
“Democrats say we must have open borders and that illegal immigrants have a right to be in this country at all costs,” the spokesman, Hogan Gidley, said, adding, “so they should be working with the administration to find the best ways to transport those illegal aliens that are already set for release, into communities in their districts and states.”
Last year, Trump administration officials had floated the idea of transporting migrants to sanctuary cities, which do not strictly adhere to federal immigration laws, as a way to address the influx of migrants crossing the southern border with Mexico. One of the highest-profile sanctuary cities is San Francisco, home to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi’s office condemned the Trump administration for the idea, which the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday was ultimately rejected.
The White House on Thursday called the proposal a “nonstory” and said, “these are illegal aliens already being released and sent to U.S. communities every day.”
There has been an influx of migrant families crossing the southern border into the United States, exceeding the manpower and resources available for immigration enforcement. And with a shortage of space in shelters and detention centers, immigration officials have been releasing migrants into the country as they wait to appear before an immigration court. Those courts are so backlogged with cases that it can be months or years until the migrants are called to appear before a judge.
Currently, these migrants are released into border towns. Transporting them to sanctuary cities, which are scattered across the country, would come at a great expense.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.