Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that city and state officials who don't comply with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts risk losing federal funding from his department.
"The @USDOT will NOT fund rogue state actors who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement," Duffy posted on X. "And to cities that stand by while rioters destroy transportation infrastructure — don't expect a red cent from DOT, either. Follow the law, or forfeit the funding."
Duffy's post quoted President Donald Trump's social media call for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to "do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History."
"In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside," Trump wrote on Truth Social late Sunday.
"These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens," he added.
"These Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it!" the president said.
"There is something wrong with them," Trump continued. "That is why they believe in Open Borders, Transgender for Everybody, and Men playing in Women's Sports — And that is why I want ICE, Border Patrol, and our Great and Patriotic Law Enforcement Officers, to FOCUS on our crime ridden and deadly Inner Cities, and those places where Sanctuary Cities play such a big role. You don't hear about Sanctuary Cities in our Heartland!"
Duffy's promise to withhold funding comes on the heels of widespread "no kings" demonstrations over the weekend that protested Trump administration policies as well as amid the anti-immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles and other major cities in recent weeks that have been marked by violence and property damage.
Claiming that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass failed to quell the anti-ICE riots, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles last week to help protect federal property and personnel.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.