A top Senate appropriator has ordered Attorney General Loretta Lynch to limit federal police grants to states and municipalities that refuse to follow federal immigration laws.
The move, by Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations subcommittee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., takes a direct swipe at so-called sanctuary cities that ignore federal immigration laws and release criminal illegal immigrants even if federal law enforcement officials want them deported.
Shelby wants Lynch to implement a certification process for all Justice Department grants "from this point forward," under a rule that allows the department to place stipulations on the grant money.
Shelby's letter comes after Francisco Sanchez, 45, was charged with shooting Kathryn Steinle, 32, on a San Francisco pier last week. Law enforcement there, following "sanctuary city" rules, released Sanchez, an illegal immigrant, even though the federal immigration officials wanted him detained for later deportation.
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