NEW HAVEN -- Sanctuary cities, like New Haven, have existed for several decades. Often times limit how much local police works with the feds on immigration matters. Donald Trump has a message for those municipalities.
"Block funding for sanctuary cities," Trump told a crowd in Phoenix Wednesday evening. "Block the funding. No more funding."
"I think that would be extraordinarily difficult and even if he did I think you'd have a hard time actually implementing it," said Angel Fernandez-Chavero, a New Haven resident, who migrated from Mexico.
Trump says sanctuary cities have resulted in needless deaths, including that of Norwich woman, who was killed last year by a man who immigration tried to deport at least three times.
"He's just using immigrants, documented or otherwise, as simply a scapegoat for challenges that this country faces," said Fernandez-Chavero.
Trump said, if he's elected, cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars.
"There's no way he can do that without completely tanking the US economy," suggests Fernandez-Chavero.
But, Trump said his administration would work with Congress to pass legislation to protect those jurisdictions that do assist federal authorities.
Senator Chris Murphy, during his walk across the state Thursday, stopped in New Haven and called Trump's immigration policies a "joke." Murphy said there is a bipartisan solution to the immigration crisis awaiting Congresses approval.
"A pathway to citizenship, a high bar for people who are here without documentation, stronger protections across our border that could get Republican and Democratic support today," Murphy said.
Murphy added he wasn't paying attention to much of anything Trump said on immigration yesterday "because he seems to switch his position all the time."
Back in January, when immigration authorities had performed some raids nationally, New Haven Mayor Toni Harp said the Elm City will not cooperate with federal immigration authorities if asked.
