The Price of Sanctuary

At the end of January, the Trump administration signed a pair of executive orders on immigration that, among many other things, cracked down on jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officials. These sanctuary cities, as they’re known, are in danger of losing federal funds if they don’t rescind their policies. While it’s still unclear exactly what money is at risk, a new interactive by the Center for American Progress, in partnership with the National Immigration Law Center and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, gives an idea of which states have the most to lose—and how deep these cuts could go.

Under the executive order, the decision of which funding streams to cut is left entirely up to the attorney general and secretary of Homeland Security. They can decide, “in their discretion and to the extent consistent with the law,” exactly which federal grants to take away and when. This map shows statewide funding losses if the administration were to cut five specific grants that have previously been targeted by Congressional Republicans in attempts to defund sanctuary cities. The grants go toward things like law enforcement (JAG and COPS), reimbursement for incarceration of undocumented immigrants (SCAAP), and economic development and anti-poverty initiatives (the Economic Development and Community Development Block Grants).