Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Sanctuary cities must end

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Trump administration is continuing its tough talk against "sanctuary cities," which shelter people living in the country illegally by refusing to help the federal government enforce immigration laws.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he is "urging states and local jurisdictions to comply with these federal laws."

He says the Justice Department will require compliance with immigration laws in order for the cities to receive grants through the Office of Justice Programs. The Obama administration had a similar policy in place.

President Trump had said during the campaign that he would "defund" sanctuary cities by taking away their federal funding.

But legal precedent suggests that would have been difficult to do.

Sanctuary cities include Seattle, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as many smaller municipalities.

So who could lose money?

Snohomish County has already been publicly called out by the Department of Homeland Security for being one of the top five "non-cooperative jurisdictions" in the country.

Even if Snohomish County wanted to hand over illegal immigrants being detained, a district court ruling blocks them from doing so, according to Brian Sullivan, Snohomish County Council Chair.

"This shaming in the face of court rulings is almost a bully tactic and I think it`s unfortunate. because we want to work with our federal agencies and vice-versa," Sullivan said.

Seattle could be affected too.

During his State of the City address last month, Mayor Ed Murray announced he filed a public records request with several federal agencies, asking for clarity in what is considered a sanctuary city and the potential penalties for Seattle.

"where the president is slamming doors and building walls, Americans and Seattleites are spreading our arms and opening our hearts," Murray said.

Murray and City Attorney Pete Holmes issued the following statements in response to Sessions remarks today:

City Attorney Pete Holmes added: