Contradicting the White House, Trump says he's still considering releasing migrants in sanctuary cities

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump on Friday said he is still considering releasing migrants into "sanctuary cities," contradicting a previous White House statement saying this plan had been nixed.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump wanted to release migrants in these cities to target his Democratic opponents, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The White House downplayed the report, saying in a statement "this was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion."

But Trump said otherwise on Twitter Friday:

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Trump's tweets come after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) legal department in February reportedly rejected the sanctuary city release proposal as "inappropriate." Pelosi scolded the White House over the Post report Thursday, saying "the extent of this administration’s cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.