Trump's week in review: Announces 'great healthcare plan,' freezes funding to sanctuary cities

1. Trump announces his administration is freezing funding to sanctuary cities

In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump announced that he would be cutting federal funding to sanctuary cities, which he referred to as “corrupt criminal protection centers,” effective Feb. 1.

Insisting that “all they do is breed crime and violence,” Trump informed states that if they want them (illegal immigrants), "they will have to pay for them!” 

Trump did not elaborate on what type of funding or how much money he would withhold from sanctuary cities. When pressed by a reporter for specifics as to “what kind of funding” he would be targeting, Trump vowed, “You’ll see,” adding, “It’ll be significant.”

The United States Department of Justice has identified a combined total of 35 sanctuary states, cities and counties nationwide. The federal law enforcement agency stated that it had already filed lawsuits against several sanctuary jurisdictions to compel them to comply with federal immigration law. 

The president’s vow to defund sanctuary cities comes as protests against immigration enforcement and the rhetoric against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have grown even more intense after an ICE officer shot and killed protester Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota last week. 

Trump’s previous efforts to defund sanctuary cities had faced resistance from the courts. An executive order signed by the president early in his first term cutting off funds from jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officials was struck down by a federal judge in California.