Americans overwhelmingly oppose sanctuary cities: Trump

New Delhi [India], Feb. 22 : U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed a news report suggesting that "Americans overwhelmingly oppose sanctuary cities".

The President on Tuesday retweeted a report by The Hill that said a poll has showed broad public support in his effort to crack down on sanctuary cities that arrest illegal immigrants for crimes and should be required to turn them over to federal authorities.

The survey Harvard-Harris Poll claimed to have found that 80 percent of voters say local authorities should have to comply with the law by reporting to federal agents the illegal immigrants they come into contact with.

As it stands, hundreds of cities across the nation - many with Democratic mayors or city councils - are refusing to do so.

Trump has signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to find ways to starve these sanctuary cities of federal funding.

Kelly is expected to hire thousands of new immigration enforcement agents with broad authority to detain and deport those in the country illegally, potentially setting up a showdown between the federal government and sanctuary cities.

The survey found strong support for an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, with 77 percent saying they support comprehensive immigration reform against only 23 percent who oppose.

The finding is one of several in the survey that show Trump has support for some of the controversial immigration proposals that were a hallmark of his campaign.

Source: ANI