CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago will keep fighting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies with a federal lawsuit alleging it’s illegal for the federal government to withhold public safety grants from so-called sanctuary cities, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Sunday.
The mayor said Chicago won’t “be blackmailed into changing our values, and we are and will remain a welcoming City.”
The lawsuit will be filed Monday.
Officials said there are new qualifications for a public safety grant requiring cities to share information with federal immigration authorities. City officials allege those qualifications are unconstitutional.
Chicago received about $2.3 million in such grants last year, which have been used for buying police vehicles.
Chicago is being helped by two outside law firms on a pro bono basis.
Federal officials have threatened to withhold federal funding for sanctuary cities, saying they don’t comply with federal laws.