The Trump administration is targeting sanctuary cities in the next phase of its deportation drive after labelling them “sanctuaries for criminals” following the shooting of an off-duty law enforcement officer in New York City, allegedly by an undocumented person with a criminal record.
His pledge followed the arrest of two undocumented men from the Dominican Republic after a Customs and Border Protection officer suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and face in an apparent robbery attempt in New York’s Riverside park on Saturday night.
New York is one of several self-designated “sanctuary cities” across the US, called so because the mayors and local councils have prevented law officers under their control from collaborating with federal immigration officers working on Trump’s mass deportation scheme.