Trump wins a fight in Washington: DC no longer wants to define himself as a "sanctuary city"

The threats made by Donald Trump and a sub -service of the Congress of his wishes affect the nation’s capital as a city that greets migrants regardless of their status. Columbia district authorities no longer want Washington to be defined as a “sanctuary city” that does not cooperate with ice (immigration and customs application) in withholding immigrants without documents for deportation. Evidence in this regard is the fact that the Government Site DC eliminated a web page where Mayor Muriel Bowser reaffirmed the status of the city of Sanctuary.

In a deleted statement, since November 2016, after Trump won his first elections, Bowser maintained: “Washington’s values, laws and policies have not changed on the day of the elections. We celebrate our diversity and respect all the residents of DC, regardless of the immigration status. We are a sanctuary city because we know Our neighborhoods are safer And stronger when no one is afraid to ask for help to the government. “

In 2019, in a message on Twitter (now X), she reiterated that Washington, DC, remained a proud sanctuary city, employed to protect the rights of all immigrant families in the face of disturbing threats. The mayor then promised that he would double the efforts to officially make a sanctuary city, which he obtained with the passage of a law in 2020.

This time, the US president is the same, but the mayor’s rhetoric has changed. Last month, at a press conference, Bowser acknowledged that he no longer uses the term “Sanctuary City” to define DC, because “it is deceitful to suggest to anyone that you violate immigration laws, this is a place where you can violate immigration laws. You are vulnerable to the application of federal immigration. “

Bowser’s change seems to be driven by pressure that Trump has exercised -o on the district, which he repeatedly stated that he wants to take control. In addition, in the game it is the reduction of the budget approved in Congress, which would reduce the allocation of DC by $ 1 billion.

“The attacks of the federal government have already taken place. The reality is that the mayor is very smart by not challenging the administration and tries to work with them as best as possible, without affecting the services this city can offer or the authority it currently has, ”said Abel Núnez, President Carecen (Central Resourci), an organization that helps migrants to integrate in the society.

Nuñez says that his organization has already felt the effects of federal discounts ordered by Trump and led by the now powerful head of the Government Efficiency Department (Doge), Elon Musk. “Not only does it attack vulnerable communities, such as immigrants and poor people, but also attack organizations that work to serve communities and make sure they can participate in the city’s life,” says Nuñez, who recognizes that “we also adopt a non-confrited language. We have lost funding from the federal government and we want to make sure that Carecen will survive. “

The controversial term “sanctuary” is another word that the government wants to delete from the vocabulary of the public administration. This month, New York Times Published a long list of terms, agencies were said to avoid, including “racism”, “Hispanic minority”, “social justice” and “vulnerable populations”.

Several states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington, as well as over 100 other jurisdictions, are considered sanctuaries. These include the cities of Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, who have laws that prohibit local resources, such as transport or staff, to apply federal immigration regulations. The first democrats of four of the largest American cities – Chicago, Denver, Boston and New York – discovered the policies of the sanctuary city in Congress last week, denying that this presents a security risk, as the Republicans argue.

Trump, unhappy with the rhythm deportations of immigrants without documentsWhich goes slower than expected, went out to Sanctuary Cities, warning that he would interrupt his federal financing if he does not cooperate with arrests. The Department of Justice sued New York and Chicago because it intervened with its anti-immigration campaign.

For ICE, the simplest way to perform deportations is to go to local prisons and take immigrants without documents detained for other crimes, largely minor crimes, such as traffic violations. However, this requires the cooperation of local authorities, which is not allowed in the sanctuar cities.

The pressure of the administration against them has been in progress since Trump won the elections. Bowser was one of the elected officials who, a few days before Trump’s inauguration, received a letter from America First LegalLeaded by Stephen Miller, one of his policy and security advisers, warning that they will face legal consequences to interfere or prevent the application of federal immigration laws.

Bowser, who fulfills his third term as mayor of the city, has shown signs of soaking his attitude of confrontation towards Trump. Most recently, she tilted to Trump’s wishes, ordering the elimination of a Black Lives Matter Plaza mural, very close to the White House, after the Congress Republicans threatened to retain the funding for the district, if it remained in force. Bowser led to the press to build Black Lives Matter Plaza in 2020, after federal agents fired tear gas at the protesters following the killing of George Floyd. Asked why he went to pressure, Bowser replied that he had “bigger fish.”

In the game is the budget of the Government, which controls the Congress led by Republican. Such discounts could effectively eliminate programs that benefit immigrants, such as education and medical assistance, regardless of their immigration status, in addition to reducing the security budget.

Colombia district was established in 1790 to serve as the capital of the nation in land that belong to the states of Virginia and Maryland. Unlike the states, he has no representative in the Senate, and his delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, does not have a vote in the room of representatives.

DC vulnerability has determined proposals such as the one provided by American congressist Jamie Raskinthat represents the suburbs of Maryland of DC, which suggested a return in the past Podcast DC Cast DC. “If you want to think about returning to Maryland for this time, you will certainly be safer in the free state than under the brutal finger of Maga colonialism,” he said. According to Axios, most of the residents in Maryland oppose the incorporation of DC in their state. In any case, it is an unlikely option, because it should be approved by the Congress.

Meanwhile, Bowser is looking for a balance to avoid losing its authority or budget. “The name of the sanctuary is not really what matters. What matters is that funds are there to support the community. For some people, it happens, because it sends a message, but I don’t think a message at this time is appropriate, ”Nuñez admits.

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