DENVER — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced Tuesday that the city has joined two amicus briefs challenging the Trump administration’s attempts to withhold funding from so-called sanctuary cities.
An amicus brief is filed by parties that are not associated with a court case but have an interest in the outcome.
The briefs were filed in support of Minneapolis and Rochester. Both cities are engaged in legal battles with the Trump administration over immigration policies.
Johnston argues that the administration is overstepping its authority and that local policies aimed at building trust with immigrant communities improve safety and benefit the economy.
“Denver’s historic drop in homicides and crime was accomplished by building trust in our communities, not by tearing it down as the Trump Administration has done in Minneapolis and across the country,” Mayor Johnston said in a news release.
President Donald Trump threatened in January that he would deny federal funding to any states that are home to “sanctuary cities,” that he says aren’t doing enough to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it seeks to make good on his campaign promises to remove millions of people in the country illegally.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it plans to cut some $600 million in public health grants to four states led by Democrats, including Colorado, according to news reports.
So far, Denver has filed five lawsuits and five amicus briefs against the Trump administration on issues ranging from federal funding to immigration enforcement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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