Dusty Johnson unveils bill to drop hammer on sanctuary cities

Republican South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson will introduce legislation Monday to codify one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting sanctuary cities.

Johnson’s No DOT [Department of Transportation] Funds for Sanctuary Cities Act would prevent the DOT secretary from issuing any federal funding to cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The legislation would build on an executive order the president signed in April, which directed federal agencies to identify grants and awards issued to sanctuary jurisdictions for possible termination, according to a release from Johnson’s office exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Johnson previously signaled he would introduce legislation cracking down on sanctuary cities during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on July 16. DOT Secretary Sean Duffy, who testified during the hearing on the agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget request, voiced support for the measure.

“It’s absurd that we have sanctuary cities who ignore federal law, allow anti-ICE rioters to destroy transportation infrastructure, and then those same local governments will turn around and ask the federal government to foot the bill for the repairs,” Johnson said during the hearing.

“I couldn’t agree with you more if you allow your city to be burned or even in LA where we’re allowing rioters to destroy our streets, the federal taxpayer should not come back and then rebuild what they allowed to be destroyed,” Duffy replied to the congressman.

Duffy threatened to pull federal transportation funding to sanctuary cities, such as Los Angeles, in June following a torrent of anti-ICE riots engulfing the city.  The Trump administration sued Los Angeles over its sanctuary city policies on June 30, citing the city’s refusal to share data with and limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The violent Los Angeles riots protesting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies rose to more than $32 million as of June 23.

Common sanctuary city policies include prohibiting local law enforcement from honoring ICE detainer requests and declining to notify federal immigration authorities about the impending release of an illegal immigrant.

Trump signed an executive order in April titled, “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens,” which stated that cities who refuse cooperation with federal immigration authorities could lose federal funding.

“[S]ome State and local officials nevertheless continue to use their authority to violate, obstruct and defy the enforcement of Federal immigration laws,” the president’s executive order read. “This is a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law and the Federal Government’s obligation to defend the territorial sovereignty of the United States.”

The legislation’s cosponsors include Republican Reps. Brian Babin of Texas, Buddy Carter of Georgia, Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, David Taylor of Ohio, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Pat Harrigan of North Carolina.

Johnson is chair of House Republicans’ Main Street Caucus, a group of more than 80 GOP lawmakers who call themselves “pragmatic conservatives.” He announced his campaign for the South Dakota governorship in June.

Latest posts by Adam Pack (see all)

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.