Schneiderman vows to protect ‘sanctuary cities’ from Trump

ALBANY — State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said Wednesday that he will fight President Donald Trump’s plan to sanction “sanctuary cities,” including New York City, if they continue to promote themselves as safe havens for undocumented immigrants against Trump’s enforcement.

“The president lacks the constitutional authority to cut off funding to states and cities simply because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families,” Schneiderman said Wednesday. “Any attempt to bully local governments into abandoning policies that have proven to keep our cities safe is not only unconstitutional, but threatens the safety of our citizens.”

As part of his effort to strengthen borders and enforce immigration laws to help root out terrorists, Trump said “sanctuary cities” that don’t cooperate with federal immigration officials could lose millions of dollars in federal aid.

Schneiderman said if Trump doesn’t rescind his executive order, “I will do everything in my power to fight it.”

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, also a Democrat, had no immediate comment.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.