WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, today issued the following statement after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will attempt to deny Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (“Byrne-JAG”) to communities that refuse to cooperate with the Trump Administration’s deportation agenda:
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“Attorney General Sessions now threatens to stop the federal funds our police use to fight gun violence in Chicago. This dangerous and irresponsible decision is an effort by the Trump Administration to pressure local communities to join in deporting undocumented immigrants, even if they pose no threat to their communities.”
Since 2009, the City of Chicago and Cook County have received $58,135,399 in Byrne-JAG grants. In a letter to President Trump in February, Sens. Durbin and Duckworth urged him to provide a surge in federal support and resources for Chicago to reduce violence and expand economic opportunities for neglected communities.
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