President Donald Trump said he's moving forward with his plans to withhold funding from sanctuary cities on Thursday after an appeals court ruled in his favor, Fox News reported.

The Trump administration believes defunding cities that host undocumented immigrants, most of whom are widely reported to be in families, is a great idea.

"As per recent Federal Court ruling, the Federal Government will be withholding funds from sanctuary cities. They should change their status and go non-Sanctuary," Trump tweeted. "Do not protect criminals!"

As per recent Federal Court ruling, the Federal Government will be withholding funds from Sanctuary Cities. They should change their status and go non-Sanctuary. Do not protect criminals!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2020

In the past, Trump has tried to withhold money from organizations affiliated with immigrants. In February, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York overturned a lower court ruling that stopped the administration's 2017 move to withhold grant money from an organization named after a 22-year-old officer was shot in the head while guarding the home of an immigrant witness, QNS reported. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program dispenses more than $250 million a year in efforts to improve criminal justice in state and local governments, according to Fox News.

Other liberal states, including Washington, Massachusetts and Connecticut, joined forces with New York and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District to sue the government in efforts to unfreeze funds for sanctuary cities and stop Trump's financial meddling amongst the immigrant community.

In the end, however, the courts "cannot agree that the federal government must be enjoined from imposing the challenged conditions on the federal grants here at issue," Fox News reported.

Meanwhile, Trump is deploying top-notch ICE officers to sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with his domestic immigration policies, The New York Times reported.

Current sanctuary policies dictate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has the right to apprehend individuals who come in contact with local and state law enforcement agencies, but also that local law enforcement will limit cooperation with ICE requests. That limited local cooperation bars local authorities from alerting ICE whenever an undocumented immigrant is released from local custody, Fox News reported.

New York advocacy groups have rallied against ICE, an organization that is now wielding weapons and misleading people into believing they are ordinary police officers.

A SWAT team equivalent of the U.S. Border Patrol, BORTAC, armed with tactical gear such as stun grenades and with trained snipers, is being sent to cities like Chicago and New York. Its purpose is to target "individuals who are known to be violent, many of them with extensive criminal records," The Times reported.

A spokesperson for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also confirmed that 100 officers are scheduled to work with ICE from February through May, according to The Times.

ICE continues to be in communities arresting immigrants and tearing apart families. Last month, an agent shot a man in the face and hand while trying to detain an undocumented immigrant in Brooklyn, as Blavity previously reported.

Sanctuary-Cities

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week