A leading law-enforcement official who opposes sanctuary cities believes President Donald Trump should allow states to crack down on their own law-flouting metropolises before making good on his threat to launch federal funds from them.
"President Trump should exercise patience, you know, to a degree – not for too long, but patience," David Clarke, the sheriff of Milwaukee County, told Newsmax TV's "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Thursday. "Let the states try to work itself first. Give them the first shot at it.
"There are some states where that's not going to happen — California, Washington, New York — some of these progressive liberal areas aren't going to do that. But, you give them the chance to do it first, and then you come in with your leverage and twist arms if you have to."
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday the Justice Department plans to withhold up to $4.1 billion from dozens of cities which refuse immigration agents' requests to detain illegal immigrants, which he charged endangered the "lives of every American" and violated federal law.
But Clarke advised: "I wouldn't threaten these people . . . don't overreact at this point — we're going to get there . . . Get the [U.S.-Mexico border] wall built, and then start to enforce the immigration laws."
Clarke is the author of "Cop Under Fire: Moving Beyond Hashtags of Race, Crime and Politics for a Better America," written with Nancy French and published by Worthy.