New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has set up $16 million in his 2018 budget to pay for lawyers to help illegal immigrants fight deportation, The Washington Times reported.
The money would help pay for legal representation for immigrant residents in the city, including undocumented ones. It would also cover legal counsel for people in detention, unaccompanied minors, and people seeking asylum, according to Politico.
"At a time when immigrants are under senseless attack by the federal government, this is still our New York: a city made strong by its diversity," said Steve Choi, New York Immigration Coalition executive director, the Times noted.
City Hall officials said the $16 million in the budget is a response to targeting of immigrants by the Trump administration.
"We will not back down in the face of [Donald] Trump's anti-immigrant policies," de Blasio said in a statement, according to Politico. "We will remain welcoming to immigrant communities, whose contributions have helped make New York the greatest and safest city in the world."
De Blasio's budget includes hundreds of millions from reserves in case Washington cuts any of the city's funding.
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