A handful of mayors told Attorney General Jeff Sessions Tuesday what they toldHomeland Security Secretary John Kelly last month: that they are not breaking federal law by imposing "sanctuary" policies aimed at protecting illegal immigrants.Mayor Jorge Elorza of Providence told reporters after an hour-long meeting at the Department of Justice that Sessions told them a sanctuary city would be defined as one that violates federal statute 8 U.S.C. 1373. He said if that is the definition, "then there are no sanctuary cities" in the United States.Section 1373 mandates that "a federal, state, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual."Elorza and others say that they aren't blocking the flow of information at all between the federal government and state and local governments, and thus aren't in violation of the law.Opponents of sanctuary cities have said a major problem with sanctuary cities is that local officials ignore federal requests to hold illegal immigrants so they can be transferred to federal authorities. On that issue, the two sides are split, and many sanctuary cities refuse to honor those requests from the federal government.Sessions last week sent a letter to eight cities to demand compliance with the federal statute, and said if they don't, they could lose federal funding.One of those cities was New Orleans. Mayor Mitch Landrieu told reporters Tuesday that he gave Sessions his city's compliance letter, reiterating that his city does not violate the federal statute."We are in compliance," he said. He said that when someone gets arrested in his city, they "get fingerprinted, and that fingerprint goes to ICE right away. ['] And ICE gets notification immediately about whether we're in possession of an individual in violation of a civil immigration law."Landrieu explained that the next question is how long that person can be held without violating his or her constitutional rights "without probable cause or without a warrant." It is there that these mayors differ with both the DOJ and the DHS, Landrieu said, and another reason for the meeting: "To get clarity."In a statement issued following the Meeting, Sessions said only one city gave him a letter today that claimed to be in compliance, and he is awaiting formal responses from others."We will evaluate those responses to ensure the requirements of these grants are met. I once again urge these cities and jurisdictions to reevaluate their policies, protect their citizens and comply with the law," Sessions said. "The vast majority of state and local jurisdictions are in compliance and want to work with federal law enforcement to keep their communities safe."SEE ALSO:'I'm the best thing that happened to DACA': Homeland Security chief John Kelly reportedly infuriated Democrats during a meetingJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Congress just voted to allow your internet provider to sell your online history and data 'here's how to protect your privacy
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