San Francisco leads multi-jurisdiction lawsuit against Trump administration sanctuary city crackdown
The City of San Francisco is leading a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its crackdown on sanctuary cities and states and its threat to cut off federal funding.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said the lawsuit -- to be filed Friday in U.S. District Court -- is also brought by Santa Clara County; the City of Portland, Oregon; the City of New Haven, Connecticut; and King County, Washington.
The lawsuit targets President Donald Trump's executive orders and his administration's actions meant to compel local jurisdictions into carrying out White House policies on immigration and undocumented immigrants.
On Wednesday, new U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive to punish sanctuary jurisdictions by ending funding to any that "unlawfully interfere with federal law enforcement operations" or otherwise do not comply with the federal government's immigration policies.
Chiu said the moves by the Trump administration seek to commandeer local law enforcement officers to take on the role of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Supporters say sanctuary laws and policies prioritize city and state resources for traditional law enforcement and crime-fighting efforts. Sanctuary laws improve public safety and have been repeatedly upheld by federal courts, said Chiu.
"The Trump Administration's actions have nothing to do with public safety because we know that sanctuary laws improve public safety," said Chiu in a prepared statement. "This is the federal government illegally asserting a right it does not have, telling cities how to use their resources, and commandeering local law enforcement. This is the federal government coercing local officials to bend to their will or face defunding or prosecution. That is illegal and authoritarian. As local officials, we have a right to do our jobs without threats and interference from the federal government."
On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department sued the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and other local jurisdictions alleging their laws are impeding the Trump administration's increased immigration enforcement in the area.
San Francisco has had sanctuary laws in place since 1989. The city says studies have consistently shown immigrants are less likely to commit crimes, while sanctuary jurisdictions either see no increase in crime or have lower crime rates.
Opponents of sanctuary jurisdictions the policies allow dangerous criminals back on the streets, while supporters say threatening undocumented immigrants with deportation erodes trust in the community and makes people fearful to report crimes, go to school, or obtain needed healthcare.
According to Chiu, sanctuary laws do not interfere with or impede lawful federal immigration enforcement, and the federal government has the identity and fingerprints of every San Francisco jail inmate. If the federal government has reason to arrest someone, they can do so by obtaining a warrant or court order, Chiu said.
San Francisco sued the federal government during the first Trump administration after it tried to withhold federal funds from the city because of its sanctuary policies. The city prevailed in that suit in 2018 after an appeals court ruled the policies were legal and the withholding of funds was unconstitutional.
In 2017, California established the California Values Act, otherwise known as the state's sanctuary law, barring state and local police from enforcing federal immigration laws and limiting police cooperation with federal immigration officials.
The Trump administration sued California over the law in 2018, but a federal district court declined to block enforcement of the statute, finding that its provisions did not create an impermissible obstacle to enforcement of federal law.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, saying that while "we have no doubt that SB 54 makes the jobs of federal immigration authorities more difficult," the state "has the right ... to refrain from assisting with federal efforts."
