Emanuel fires back at Attorney General Sessions over sanctuary city funding

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel is firing back at U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions a day after Sessions ripped Chicago for its sanctuary city status.

It comes after Chicago sued the Department of Justice over threats to withhold grant money for policing.

They mayor is not backing down from his stand against the Trump administration's immigration policies. New rules would require police departments to cooperate with immigration agents or risk losing out on federal grant money - something the mayor says Chicago won't do.

The mayor spent part of his morning touring the Roosevelt Square Community Farm with students in the After School Matters Program, but he has made it clear what else matters to him is Chicago being a sanctuary city. Even if it costs the city more than $3 million in federal grants this year.

The Attorney General singled out Chicago in a strongly worded statement on Monday after the city sued over the new rules that would make sanctuary cities ineligible for grants to help police buy equipment.

"We're not gonna choose between those values of welcoming people who believe in the American dream and our basic premise of community policing," said Mayor Emanuel.

After the city's corporation counsel announced the filing of the lawsuit Attorney General Jeff Sessions responded by saying:

"To a degree perhaps unsurpassed by any other jurisdiction, the political leadership of Chicago has chosen deliberately and intentionally to adopt a policy that obstructs this country's lawful immigration system. They have demonstrated an open hostility to enforcing laws designed to protect law enforcement."

The new rules would require police to give Immigration agents unrestricted access to police stations and 48 hours notice before any detainees were released so their immigration status could be checked.

Sessions accused the city of open hostility to enforcing immigration laws and said they are protecting, quote "criminal aliens."

"And he can get nasty, but you can't violate the constitution, and you can't violate the law. We're not gonna hold people for longer than 48 hours, that's not lawful," said Mayor Emanuel.

In the city's lawsuit, they will be asking a judge to throw out the Trump administration's new requirements imposed on sanctuary cities so Chicago can apply for those grants by the September 5 deadline.