politics
DOJ Threatens to Withhold Grants for Rape Kit Testing from Sanctuary Cities
The Department of Justice is moving to cut federal funding from cities classified as sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to sign cooperation agreements with ICE. The action targets grants used for processing sexual assault kits, police equipment and emergency services in multiple West Coast cities.
Jul 16, 5:09 AM·2m read1 source
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The Department of Justice is threatening to withhold federal grants from cities it deems sanctuary jurisdictions that do not sign cooperation agreements with ICE, Usa Today reported. The move directly affects funding for processing rape kits in Fresno, California, where the city is using a $2 million federal grant to test a batch of 400 kits.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz stated that the administration is threatening to withhold grant money the city uses to prosecute rapists.
"Justice for victims shouldn’t be politicized. It has nothing to do with immigration enforcement," Janz said. In June, DOJ grant administrators notified Fresno that it had not signed a certification to cooperate with DHS and ICE.
Santa Cruz, California, alleged in a lawsuit that it will receive no federal funds for bulletproof vests for police if the funding is withheld. Beaverton, Oregon, faces the loss of federal funds for ambulances for paramedics. Corvallis, Oregon, relies on $27,000 in DOJ body armor funding over the last two years, according to Police Chief Jason Harvey.
On July 9, a California federal judge ruled that the federal government could not withhold public safety grants to Oregon and California cities. Judge William Orrick wrote in a 68-page ruling that the strings attached to the grant have nothing to do with or contradict the Congressional purpose.
The same judge ruled last year that the Trump administration could not deny funding to Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and 30 other cities over lack of immigration enforcement cooperation.
