The White House tried to pressure U.S. immigration officials to release immigrant detainees onto the streets of so-called sanctuary cities. It appeared to be an idea aimed at blatant retaliation against President Trump’s adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi.
Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
Trump has been an outspoken critic of sanctuary cities and has clashed repeatedly with democrats over funding for a border wall.