Trump DOJ warns government officials who resist federal immigration directives will face criminal investigations

• The DOJ has directed federal prosecutors to criminally investigate state and local officials who obstruct federal immigration enforcement efforts.
• Officials who harbor undocumented immigrants or resist federal immigration directives may face criminal charges.
• The policy reinstates a Trump-era approach prioritizing the most serious charges with harshest penalties to enforce federal law uniformly.
• A new DOJ working group will identify and challenge state and local laws that impede federal immigration enforcement.
• Critics argue the policy overreaches federal authority, while supporters assert it upholds federal responsibility for immigration enforcement.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed federal prosecutors to criminally investigate state and local officials who resist or obstruct federal functions.

This directive, outlined in a memo obtained by Reuters and the Associated Press and authored by Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, makes it clear that federal law prohibits state and local actors from interfering with lawful immigration-related commands and requests.

Bove’s directive instructs prosecutors to investigate potential criminal charges against officials who fail to comply with federal immigration enforcement, including those who may be harboring undocumented immigrants or obstructing federal efforts to remove individuals who are in the country unlawfully. (Related: Sanctuary cities on notice: Trump ally’s legal group targets officials for violating immigration laws.)

This aggressive stance is not without precedent. The Trump administration has long prioritized immigration enforcement, declaring illegal immigration a national emergency on the president’s first day in office.

Since then, the administration has taken sweeping measures to secure the border, restrict asylum claims and even challenge birthright citizenship, a right protected by the Constitution.

DOJ to pursue charges against state and local authorities who resist immigration directives

The memo also reinstates a policy from the early days of the Trump administration, under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, which requires prosecutors to pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses. This means prioritizing charges that carry the harshest penalties, including those punishable by death or those with significant mandatory minimum sentences. The goal, according to the memo, is to ensure that federal law is enforced uniformly and that those who violate it face the full weight of the justice system.

Critics of the administration’s approach argue that it represents an overreach of federal authority and undermines the autonomy of state and local governments. However, supporters counter that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and state and local officials have no legal right to obstruct it. The memo emphasizes this point, stating that the DOJ’s duty is to defend the Constitution and execute the policies that the American people elected Trump to implement.

The memo also establishes a “Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group” within the DOJ’s civil division. This group will identify state and local laws and policies that “threaten to impede” federal immigration efforts and potentially challenge them in court.

This marks a significant shift from the priorities of the previous Democratic administration, which encouraged prosecutorial discretion and sought to limit the criminalization of immigration violations.

For the Trump administration, this memo is more than just a policy directive – it’s a statement of principle. It reaffirms the president’s commitment to securing the border, combating transnational crime and ensuring that federal law is upheld at all levels of government.

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Watch this clip discussing the Trump administration’s plans for illegal immigrants.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

Reuters.com

APNews.com

ABCNews.go.com

Brighteon.com