The Department of Justice issued letters yesterday to 23 jurisdictions, including three states, warning them that they appear to be in violation of federal law. These jurisdictions are at risk of losing over $53 million in federal law enforcement funding unless they reverse their sanctuary policies.
The specific law in question is 8 USC 1373, which says that no government can in any way restrict the exchange of information with federal immigration authorities.
These grants, known as the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, are the largest source of federal criminal justice funds for state and local authorities. The figures the graph below reflect the FY 2017 allocations for the states and localities which received the DOJ warnings:
| Jurisdiction | State | FY 2017 Grant Funding |
| Chicago | Ill. | $2,019,194 |
| Cook County | Ill. | $17,233 |
| New York City | N.Y. | $4,120,447 |
| Albany | N.Y. | $63,919 |
| Berkeley | Calif. | $38,926 |
| Bernalillo County | N.M. | $60,912 |
| Burlington | Vt. | $38,845 |
| Denver, City + County | Colo. | $423,861 |
| Fremont | Calif. | $22,849 |
| Jackson | Miss. | $252,439 |
| King County | Wash. | $39,993 |
| Lawrence | Mass. | $66,963 |
| Los Angeles, City | Calif. | $1,953,647 |
| Louisville | Ky. | $587,515 |
| Monterey County | Calif. | $18,019 |
| San Francisco City + County | Calif. | $524,845 |
| Sonoma County | Calif. | $47,104 |
| Watsonville | Calif. | $20,575 |
| West Palm Beach | Fla. | $59,970 |
| Sacramento County | Calif. | $233,299 |
| State of California | $17,701,281 | |
| State of Illinois | $6,511,233 | |
| State of Oregon | $18,244,126 | |
| Total | $53,067,195 | |
Topics: Sanctuary Cities