Trump admin to let local governments refuse to resettle approved refugees in their jurisdictions

The Trump administration is reportedly working on a plan that would allow local governments to refuse to resettle refugees who had been previously approved by the federal government.

Here's what we know

According to a copy of the executive order draft reviewed by NBC News, "the federal government will resettle refugees only where both the relevant state and local governments have consented to participate."

Under current law, the federal government gets to decide where the best place to resettle refugees would be. State and local governments can protest the settlement, but they have no legal authority to block it from happening.

An unnamed senior official with the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News that this draft is being reviewed by lawyers and government agencies before it can be finalized.

The draft reportedly contains an exception for refugees who have either children or spouses who have already been settled in a particular city or state. The refugees in question would already have been screened and approved by federal immigration authorities. If a state or city refused to admit refugees, the federal government would have to try to find another location that would be willing to take them instead.

What else?

This rule change would be in stark contrast to sanctuary policies, where cities and states defy the federal government to house illegal immigrants who would otherwise likely be detained or deported.

It is not clear how many cities or states would take advantage of this new rule if it were to be implemented.

TheBlaze has reached out to the White House for comment.