SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Mayor Jenny Durkan of Seattle in Washington state on the U.S. west coast reaffirmed Thursday her resolve to face up to a possible combat with the federal government over an immigration dispute.

Durkan joined several other mayors across the United States in a defiant fight with the Justice Department, which threatened Wednesday to deny an important public safety grant worth millions of U.S. dollars from the federal government.

"I think this fight is not one we picked, but it is one we are willing to wage and in the end it is one we will win because we are right on the law, and we are right on the principles," Durkan told a local TV station KING 5 News on Thursday.

The Justice Department Wednesday issued letters to 23 sanctuary cities, including New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, requesting them to share information with federal authorities and cooperate with federal immigration law enforcement officers on crackdown on undocumented immigrants living in their jurisdiction.

However, Durkan refused to back off and pledged to protect her people in the community.

"As Mayor of Seattle I can tell you I don't need them to spend their resources on doing ICE sweeps of people who present no danger to my community," Durkan said.

She was among a few mayors from other sanctuary cities who skipped a meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday.

The statements of the mayors of sanctuary cities indicated an escalation in the relations between local governments and Trump's administration.

Sanctuary states and cities refer to some U.S. states and cities, which are applying a policy that limits their cooperation with federal government on enforcement of immigration law. They intend to reduce the fear of deportation and possible family break-up among undocumented people so that they will be more willing to report crimes and access health and social services.