San Francisco, California, has taken a bold step against the Trump administration’s efforts to target sanctuary jurisdictions, filing a lawsuit on Friday that challenges federal actions aimed at penalizing cities that limit their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Joining San Francisco in this legal battle are Santa Clara County, California, King County, Washington, and the cities of Portland, Oregon, and New Haven, Connecticut.
The lawsuit, reported by CNN, addresses President Trump’s executive order that threatens to withhold federal funds from jurisdictions that do not assist in enforcing his immigration policies. It also highlights a memo from the Department of Justice issued on February 5, which allegedly warns of possible civil and criminal consequences for local governments that refuse to comply with federal immigration directives.
City Attorney David Chiu expressed strong opposition to the federal government’s approach, stating that the actions taken by the Trump administration represent an illegal overreach of power. He criticized the administration for attempting to dictate how local resources should be utilized and for pressuring local law enforcement to align with its immigration agenda. Chiu described the situation as coercive, arguing that it places undue pressure on local officials who could face funding cuts or legal repercussions for noncompliance.
The lawsuit aims to protect the rights of local jurisdictions and seeks a court ruling to declare the federal government’s actions unlawful, thereby preventing their enforcement. Chiu emphasized that this lawsuit is not just a local issue but could have broader implications, suggesting that other sanctuary jurisdictions may join the fight against the Trump administration’s policies.
In 2017, San Francisco had already initiated a legal challenge against the Trump administration regarding an executive order that rendered sanctuary cities ineligible for federal grants. The current lawsuit builds on that foundation, asserting that the Trump administration’s tactics are designed to punish dissenting jurisdictions and force them into compliance with federal immigration policies.
As the legal battle unfolds, San Francisco and its allies are standing firm in their commitment to protect their local policies and resist what they perceive as an authoritarian approach from the federal government. The outcome of this lawsuit could set important precedents for the relationship between federal and local authorities concerning immigration enforcement.