New Sanctuary City Policy Could Cost Philly Police
by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Obama administration has adopted a new policy on sanctuary cities that could cost the Philadelphia police department close to $2 million in federal funds.
Or not. The Justice Department won't say if the city's stance on immigration information violates the new policy.
The new policy would withhold law enforcement grants to any city that restricts sharing information on a person's immigration status with federal authorities.
To Senator Pat Toomey, that would include Mayor Jim Kenney's executive order, refusing to provide prison release dates of illegal immigrants convicted of some local crimes.
Kenney's spokesperson Lauren Hitt says he's wrong, that the city cooperates with federal authority in important ways: suspected terrorism or violent crimes.
The Justice Department, itself-- really the only agency that can say who is right-- won't answer the question. But Hitt says it hasn't told the city it plans to withhold any funds.
