Sanctuary cities and states are those that provide special protections, not available to U.S. citizens, to illegal aliens and such.
Those jurisdictions prevent their police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. They don’t recognize federal detainers for criminal illegals, and more.
Now they are in line to lose billions of dollars in federal funding.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday he’s preparing to pull the plug on federal funding for those locations starting Feb. 1.
Starting on that date, he said, “We’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens.”
“It breeds fraud and crime and all of the other problems that come. So we’re not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary cities,” he explained.
BREAKING: President Trump just announced he is SUSPENDING ALL PAYMENTS to sanctuary cities and states like Minnesota and California starting FEB. 1
FINALLY!
“They do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of citizens. It breeds fraud and crime. NO PAYMENTS!” pic.twitter.com/zR9cpHwK6Q
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 13, 2026
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Starting February 1st, we’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens and it breeds fraud and crime and all of the other problems… pic.twitter.com/FyMYGilLtp
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 13, 2026
The Department of Justice already has identified 12 states, including Illinois, New York and California, and several of the nation’s largest cities such as New York, as sanctuary jurisdictions.
Trump said the withholding of funds would be “significant.”
Advocates for sanctuary practices suggest that the special protections make illegal aliens who are crime victims feel comfortable engaging with law enforcement.
Critics note that those criminals often then end up being released, and can do subsequent harm to Americans through new criminal activities.
There isn’t, so far, any indication of how much federal funding would be involved, and whether it would involve massive funding programs like Medicaid and food stamps.