On her first day, newly-confirmed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has already ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to “pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities.”
Bondi, who previously served as Florida’s attorney general, was confirmed by the Senate in a vote of 54-46 on February 4 and sworn into office by conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas the following morning. Upon being sworn in, Bondi vowed to “restore integrity to the Justice Department, and I will fight violent crime throughout this country and throughout this world and make America safe again.”
On February 5, Bondi hit the ground running when it comes to implementing President Donald Trump’s agenda. According to her day one directives obtained by Fox News, the attorney general is focusing heavily on battling illegal immigration and drug cartels, as well as evaluating funding being sent to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that facilitate illegal immigration. One of the most important efforts to battle illegal immigration involves punishing sanctuary cities for prioritizing illegal aliens over the safety of their own citizens.
There are 13 sanctuary states and 220 sanctuary cities and counties in the United States. According to a map of sanctuary cities compiled by the Center for Immigration Studies, the numerous sanctuary cities across the country that refuse to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) include Lansing, Michigan; New York City; Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, Maryland, among others. There are also entire states that have declared themselves to be sanctuaries for illegal aliens, including California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington state.
Bondi also issued several other immigration-related directives, including working alongside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to “completely eliminate” the Mexican cartels, which have been designated foreign terrorist organizations thanks to a day one executive order from Trump.
She also announced that Joint Task Force Vulcan — which is a coordinated effort among government agencies to dismantle MS-13 — and Joint Task Force Alpha, which fights human trafficking, would be “further empowered and elevated” by the Office of the Attorney General.
Social media users celebrated Bondi for keeping her promises on day one, with commentator Benny Johnson declaring it a “POWERFUL first move.”
🚨BREAKING: Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered the Department of Justice to cut off all federal funding to sanctuary cities.
What a POWERFUL first move 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1KsbeZHYuD
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 5, 2025
“Pam Bondi comes out the gate swinging. She has demanded that all funding to sanctuary cities be paused. To be honest guys I feel like the Democrats are about to crack for good because they cannot get a handle on what to be outraged about at the rate that this administration is going,” wrote popular X account Insurrection Barbie.
Pam Bondi comes out the gate swinging. She has demanded that all funding to sanctuary cities be paused. To be honest guys I feel like the Democrats are about to crack for good because they cannot get a handle on what to be outraged about at the rate that this administration is…
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) February 5, 2025
