President Donald Trump announced Friday he's giving "strong considerations" to releasing detained immigrants into sanctuary cities as a retaliatory move against political enemies, completely contradicting a couple of statements issued by his own administration.
The president said the controversial plan was being seriously floated as a way to stick it to "The Radical Left."
"Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only," Trump tweeted. "The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy _ so this should make them very happy!"
The Washington Post first reported Thursday that the administration was mulling the plan.
But the White House and the Department of Homeland Security issued statements denying that the policy was under consideration.
"This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion," the White House statement read.
A White House spokesman did not return a request for clarity.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Democratic-controlled district in and around San Francisco is reportedly among those being targeted under the administration's prospective plan.
Prior to Trump's tweet, Pelosi excoriated the potential policy as another sign of Trump's unfitness for office.
"It's just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States, that is disrespectful to the challenges that we face as a country, as a people, to address who we are, a nation of immigrants," Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill.
