Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Gang Murders in New York City

On Sunday, April 23, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed on ABC News' This Week:

STEPHANOPOULOS: That letter did raise the ire of one prominent law enforcement official here in the city of New York. The New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill. He was responding to this sentence in that letter you sent. It said New York City continues to see gang murder after gang murder, the predictable consequence of the city's soft on crime stance. . . . 

SESSIONS: Well, that was a statement that went out dealing with the sanctuary city situation. The police officers, the sergeants association has made a statement saying Jeff Sessions is correct. This is a soft on crime policy. 

But, look, we want to work with our mayors, we want to improve law enforcement in America. Half of the murders in New York are gang-related, many of those are people -- gangs who have illegal aliens involved in them. So why would you not want to deport those and make the city even safer? . . .