The U.S. Justice Department requests non-citizen inmate data from California jails to prioritize deportations.

The Department of Justice requested multiple California counties on Thursday for data about every noncitizen inmate being held in the state's jails. Why it matters: The request is a further escalation of the Trump's administration's crackdown on sanctuary cities in California.

Attorney General Pam Bondi sent letters to several California sheriffs on Thursday requesting the names “of all inmates in their county jails who are not citizens of the United States, their crimes of arrest or conviction and their scheduled release dates.

The announcement opened a contentious new front in Trump’s immigration crackdown, in a state that largely blocks law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The U.S. DOJ requests data on noncitizen inmates across California, aiming to prioritize removal of those with criminal records.

The U.S. Department of Justice has formally requested data from several major California counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, seeking detailed information on jail inmates who are not U.S.