The World Today
A U.S. federal judge has extended an injunction he issued to protect 16 cities and counties and has barred the executive branch from withholding federal funds from so-called "sanctuary cities," including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles, for failing to support his strict immigration policies.
Behind the current ruling—a 15-page document—is U.S. District Judge William Orrick (San Francisco), who has expanded the scope of the initial order he issued in April of this year to include other local governments—more than 30 jurisdictions—that have recently joined the lawsuit, requesting legal protection in this regard.
The lawsuit in question arose after President Donald Trump signed two executive orders between January and February, early in his term, that, according to the plaintiffs, unconstitutionally threatened to cut off federal funding if local authorities did not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The main target of these orders were the so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions or cities, whose policies limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal agents tasked with arresting immigrants.
Along these lines, Orrick has pointed out that the real purpose of Trump's measures is none other than to condition the release of federal funds on a change in local policies to make them more favorable to him, something the judge has called a "coercive threat" and an unconstitutional action.
The new order includes Los Angeles, where the deployment of the National Guard ordered by Trump in June following protests against immigration raids has prompted another demand from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The first federal court ruling against Trump's executive orders on this matter came shortly after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi warned in mid-March that she would pursue so-called "sanctuary cities"—those that restrict their cooperation with Washington in enforcing immigration law—and insisted on linking immigration to crime.
"A sanctuary city means they're hiding criminals. They're hiding undocumented immigrants," the prosecutor then charged, also promising a firm hand with the key security promises made by Donald Trump during his campaign.
Later, in late June of this year, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, its mayor, Karen Bass, and members of the city government seeking the repeal of "sanctuary" laws that protect immigrants and constitute "discrimination" against law enforcement and federal agencies.
However, these efforts have been "obstructed from the outset by Sanctuary Cities, such as Los Angeles, which refuse to cooperate or share information with federal immigration authorities, even when requested," the federal government lamented in its complaint.
