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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/11/democrats-white-house-release-migrants-sanctuary-cities/3443705002/

WASHINGTON – The revelation late Thursday that the White House tried multiple times to pressure immigration authorities into releasing migrants on the streets of sanctuary cities did not go over well with Democrats, who denounced the Trump administration as cruel.

The plan, reported by the Washington Post, was concocted to retaliate against Democrats and target sanctuary cities in liberal strongholds. It didn't come to fruition after pushback from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Post reported. ICE rejected the idea after at first thinking it was a joke, the Post reported.

Members of Congress and immigration advocates called the idea inhumane and called for those within President Donald Trump's administration to be held accountable.

"This reporting exposes yet a new level of inhumanity in this Administration," Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, wrote on Twitter. "Those who pursued this disgusting policy are beneath the dignity of the offices they hold and must be held to account."

The White House did not immediately respond to inquires about the proposal. In a statement to the Post, the White House said, "This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion." The Post reported that the proposal sought to ease the bed shortage at immigration detention centers while also retaliating against sanctuary cities and "send a message to Democrats."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's district was specifically targeted, according to the Post, noting that the White House wanted to transport migrants into her congressional district in San Francisco.

Ashley Etienne, a spokeswoman for Pelosi, called the proposal "despicable."