Trump proposal to send detainees to sanctuary cities draws heated responses

WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday the president wants to explore a twice-rejected proposal to send migrants to sanctuary cities, but it was not the preferred solution to fix the strained immigration system.

Sanders said it was one of many options on the table, though she hoped the solution would be for Congress to work with the president on comprehensive immigration reform. The Trump administration is dealing with an ever-increasing number of Central American migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border that has pushed the immigration system to the breaking point.

Laws make it hard to quickly return migrants, and many spend years in the U.S. waiting for their immigration cases to play out. Others claim asylum and wait just as long, living and working in the U.S. as they wait.

Sanctuary cities are mostly left-leaning locales such as San Francisco and New York City where laws prohibit local police and correction officers from working with immigration officials to help arrest and deport people living here illegally.

Trump seized on reports last week of the proposal that sought to send migrants already detained to Democratic locations or transport migrants that have just crossed the border to sanctuary cities.

Sanders said the idea would be to spread out the number of migrants so the strain would not be on “one or two border communities.” She spoke Sunday on ABC and “Fox News Sunday.”

Trump taunted Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Saturday evening, tweeting: “So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently ‘detained immigrants’ after release due to the ridiculous court ordered 20 day rule. If they don’t want to serve our Nation by taking care of them, why should other cities &...