A memo to prosecutors also instructs the Justice Department’s civil division to help identify state and local laws and policies that “threaten to impede” the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives and potentially challenge them in court.

President Trump signed executive orders that will fundamentally change how the nation handles immigration, beefing up enforcement and deportations.

State and local leaders across the country are bracing for a tidal wave of aggressive immigration policies and possible mass deportations that President Donald Trump has vowed to enact in the hours and days following his inauguration Monday.

President Donald Trump's administration has directed federal prosecutors to criminally investigate state and local officials who attempt to resist its immigration enforcement efforts, according to a memo to Justice Department staff seen by Reuters.

The directives to Justice Department employees could face fierce blowback from legal advocacy groups and officials in cities and states led by Democrats.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said that local laws that don't match Trump's immigration plans threaten national security.

A new DOJ memo signals that federal prosecutors should launch investigations into state and local officials who obstruct immigration enforcement.