No Community Development Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities Act
No Community Development Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities Act would withhold federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) from jurisdictions that are deemed “sanctuary jurisdictions.” The bill adds a formal definition of sanctuary jurisdiction to the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, tying eligibility for CDBG funds to a jurisdiction’s policies on sharing immigration information and complying with federal detainer requests. In short, states or local governments that prohibit or restrict information sharing with federal authorities about individuals’ citizenship or immigration status, or that do not comply with certain DHS detainer requests, would be ineligible to receive CDBG funds, at least for the duration of the grant period. There is a narrow carve-out: simply having a policy to not share information or not comply with detainers in cases involving victims or witnesses would not by itself make a jurisdiction sanctuary. The bill was introduced in the House on June 12, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Financial Services. It would apply to all grantees under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act (CDBG program) and would require that a grantee not be a sanctuary jurisdiction and not become one during the grant period as a condition of receiving funds.
Key Points
- 1Define sanctuary jurisdiction: A state or political subdivision with a statute, ordinance, policy, or practice that prevents or restricts government entities from sharing citizenship/immigration status information or from complying with DHS detainer requests (8 U.S.C. 1226, 1357). There is a narrowly specified exception for policies that merely avoid sharing information or detainer compliance for victims or witnesses in crimes.
- 2Eligibility condition for CDBG funds: Under the grant provisions, the grantee must not be a sanctuary jurisdiction and must not become one during the period for which it receives a CDBG grant.
- 3Scope of impact: Applies to Title I CDBG recipients (states, counties, cities) nationwide; funds could be withheld from jurisdictions designated as sanctuary jurisdictions.
- 4Carve-out: A jurisdiction’s policy that does not share information or detainer compliance with DHS in cases involving crime victims or witnesses would not, by itself, make it a sanctuary jurisdiction.
- 5Implementation/enforcement: HUD would apply the new definition and eligibility standard when awarding or renewing CDBG grants, tying grant eligibility to a jurisdiction’s sanctuary status for the grant period.