Sanctuary cities speak on President Trump’s idea to bus in migrants
President Donald Trump continues to push his idea of bussing undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities, which possibly includes two valley cities.
“Look, this is an option on the table,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Sarah Sanders: Transferring migrants to ‘sanctuary cities’ is an option
Sanders added the move would not be Trump’s “first choice,” citing logistical challenges but is once again under consideration.
Trump confirmed on Friday that his administration was looking at the idea of releasing immigrants into so-called sanctuary cities in part to retaliate against Democrats, undercutting earlier denials from his own administration officials.
News Channel 3 spoke with officials of some of the valley’s three sanctuary cities.
“If we did have new immigrants coming in to Cathedral City. We would welcome them every day like we did with immigrants and help them acclimate to the city and reach out to our nonprofit organizations to do so,” said Chris Parman, the communications and events manager for Cathedral City.
“The city of Coachella is a city that is pro-immigrant. We feel that our migrant families contribute a lot to the economy, the community. They are a part of our community,” said Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez.
When asked whether the city of Coachella is prepared to receive more migrants, Hernandez said, “We are already receiving them. I don’t know if you know this, but a lot of migrants have arrived to our churches, Catholic churches, the city of Coachella. We are already coordinating with the priest with the county of Riverside. So for us, this isn’t anything new. We are already helping.”
Trump’s proposal has been rejected twice by homeland security leaders, who have called the plan illegal.
Democrats in the House of Representatives have launched an investigation into the proposed plan and have requested all communications between the White House and Department of Homeland Security about legality of such a plan.
