BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Broward County Commission heard from nearly two dozen residents Tuesday, who urged county leaders to stand up to President Donald Trump's executive order and declare the county a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants -- if if that costs the county millions of dollars in federal funding.
Sons and daughters of immigrants who came to South Florida to give their families a better opportunity at making a life for themselves were among those who spoke at the meeting.
Broward County commissioners haven't voted yet on the issue. The meeting comes three weeks after the Miami-Dade County Commission voted to become the first county in the nation to drop its sanctuary status, agreeing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
"Other cities around the country have already announced that they will be sanctuary cities, and they're not going to be bullied by Trump and his administration. So if they withhold funds, I urge that you sue," Cooper City resident Saad Khan said.
"I understand that you are afraid of losing money (and) support from the government, because the DOJ is very strict about that. If you don't support all the federal laws, you don't get the grant. That's a requirement. I get that," Olivia Canto said. "However, how much of it are we standing to lose? And has the community had the opportunity to say, 'Hey, listen, we can fundraise, we can try to figure something out. We've got immigrant coalitions and nonprofits that can be a part of this.'"
It was just last week when the Broward County Public School District became a sanctuary for undocumented students after the school board voted to protect the children of undocumented immigrants.