D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says the District is "doubling down" on its status as a sanctuary city for immigrants who lack legal permission to remain in the United States.
Bowser, a Democrat, announced Monday that the District will spend $500,000 to help immigrants fight deportation. The money will be handed out as grants to lawyers and organizations that help immigrants stay in the United States.
The announcement places the District alongside the state of New York and the cities of Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, which have announced plans for similar legal defense funds. All are led by Democrats. The efforts were launched in response to the anti-immigrant rhetoric of President-elect Donald Trump.
The District is heavily Democratic, and just 4 percent of city residents voted for Trump.
