Attorney General Jeff
Sessions’ announcement
 on Monday that the
Justice Department will
bar all sanctuary cities
from receiving any grants
or other federal funds
from the department should
 be welcome news to
Americans—especially
 those whose families
have been victimized by
 criminal illegal aliens
released by sanctuary
cities like San Francisco.
As Sessions pointed out,
 Kate Steinle, a resident
of San Francisco, was
shot and killed two years
 ago by an illegal alien as
a direct result of San
Francisco’s policy of
refusing to honor federal
detainer warrants.
The killer, Francisco
 Sanchez, had seven
previous felony convictions
 and the city released him
 from custody despite the
fact that Immigration and
 Customs Enforcement
(ICE) had filed a detainer
 with San Francisco asking
 that he be kept in custody
 until immigration agents
could pick him up.
Sanchez even admitted to
 a television reporter that
the only reason he came
 to San Francisco was
 because of the city’s
sanctuary policy.

Dear reader:

Reporters at the
 Washington Post,
Huffington Post, and
Wall Street Journal are
 attacking The Daily
 Signal for our press
 access at the White
House.
They are afraid The Daily
 Signal
is providing an alternative
 to the usual left-wing or
 establishment media
spin. Now, they are using
 their “mainstream”
 media megaphones to
diminish The Daily Signal.
The Daily Signal exists
as an alternative to the
mainstream media. We
are a dedicated team of
more than 100 journalists
and policy experts funded
 solely by the financial
 support of the general
public.
We need your help! Not
only are these media outlets
going after our reputation, but
the White House
Correspondents’ Association
is facing pressure to exclude us.
Your financial support will
 help us fight for access to
 our nation’s leaders and
report the facts.
You deserve the truth about
what’s going on in
Washington.
No amount of bullying is
 going to stop us from
covering the White House.
Make a gift to support
 The Daily Signal!
SUPPORT THE DAILY SIGNAL
Sessions also mentioned
another such incident that
 happened just within the
last two weeks.
According to the attorney
general, Ever Valles, another
 illegal alien, was charged with
 the murder and robbery of a
 man at a light rail station.
The only reason he was on
 the street was because the
city of Denver refused to
 honor a detainer that ICE
had filed with the city and
released him from the Denver
 jail in December.
Valles is just one of many
such criminal aliens who are
 being loosed on the
 American public by the
 reckless policies of
sanctuary cities.
ICE recently released the
 first of its weekly reports
on cities that have refused
 to honor ICE detainer
warrants, as mandated by
 President Donald Trump’s
executive order, “Enhancing
Public Safety in the Interior
of the United States.”
The report details all of the
 local jurisdictions across the
 country from Florida to New
 York to Washington state
 that refused ICE detainers
from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3 and
released criminals from their
 jails rather than turn them
over to the federal government
 for deportation.
The crimes committed by
 these illegal aliens, as
outlined in a report covering
 just a single week, include:
domestic violence, arson,
aggravated assault, burglary,
 forgery, intimidation,
 possession of a dangerous
 weapon, intimidation, drug
 trafficking, sexual assault,
homicide, and a host of other
crimes. This is also no
surprise.
As I have outlined before,
prior reports by the
Government Accountability
Office that have reviewed
 the criminal histories of
 illegal aliens in federal,
state, and local jails show
a path of destruction and repeated
 criminal behavior by criminal
aliens that is truly shocking.
There are literally millions
of Americans like Steinle who
have been victimized by
 crimes committed by illegal
 aliens that should not have
happened and would not have
 happened if we actually
enforced our immigration
laws and if local jurisdictions
cooperated with federal
authorities instead of trying
to obstruct them.
Sessions said that the
American people “are
 justifiably angry” about
these sanctuary policies
 that endanger them. They
 understand something that
 irresponsible local officials
don’t seem to care about:
 “When cities and states
refuse to help enforce
 immigration laws, our
nation is less safe.”
The failure to deport criminal
aliens like Valles puts “whole
 communities at risk—
especially immigrant
communities in the very
 sanctuary jurisdictions
that seek to protect the
 perpetrators.”
The amount of federal grant
 money at stake is more
than $4.1 billion, which the
 Justice Department
 distributes through its
 Office of Justice Programs.
Sessions said that all
 jurisdictions applying
for such grants will have
 to certify that they are in
full compliance with 8 U.S.C.
Sec. 1373, which bans local
and state jurisdictions from
prohibiting their employees—
including law enforcement—
from exchanging information
 with the federal government over
 the citizenship status of any
individual.
The American people certainly
 agree with what Trump and
Sessions are doing. Sessions
cited a poll in which 80
 percent of Americans
agreed that illegal aliens
 arrested by cities should be turned
 over to immigration authorities.
Sessions urged state and city
officials to “consider carefully
 the harm they are doing to their
 citizens by refusing to enforce
our immigration laws, and to
rethink these policies.”
Hopefully, the added incentive
 of losing access to billions of
 federal dollars will help them
 “rethink” their rash sanctuary
policies.