A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump from withholding federal funding from over a dozen sanctuary cities and counties that are hindering his administration’s illegal immigration enforcement.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, issued a decision that implicated 16 cities and counties, barring the Trump administration from holding back any federal funding from these areas. Those jurisdictions include cities such as Minneapolis, New Haven, Portland, St. Paul, Santa Fe, and Seattle.
“The Cities and Counties have also demonstrated a likelihood of irreparable harm,” Orrick said, holding that the order likely violated the Fifth and 10th amendments.
“The threat to withhold funding causes them irreparable injury in the form of budgetary uncertainty, deprivation of constitutional rights, and undermining trust between the Cities and Counties and the communities they serve,” the judge wrote.
The lawsuit was led by San Francisco, which filed its case in February, arguing the Trump administration was illegally attempting to force officials to cooperate in federal immigration arrests.
Other jurisdictions implicated by the judge’s order include Emeryville, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.
Cities and counties with sanctuary laws prevent state and local law enforcement from assisting federal civil immigration officers.
Trump’s order, signed on his first day in office, directed the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure “sanctuary” jurisdictions are unable to “receive access to federal funds.”
Orrick’s decision blocks that provision in addition to a memo issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi that defines a sanctuary city as litigation progresses.
He also ordered the administration to provide written notice of his order to agencies by April 28.
“The written notice shall instruct those agencies that they may not take steps to withhold from, freeze, or condition funds to the Cities and Counties,” Orrick wrote.
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The Trump administration is likely to appeal the decision, as they have with dozens of recent cases in which judges temporarily enjoin the president’s executive agenda.
“This Department of Justice will continue to fight in court to defend President Trump’s agenda to crack down against policies that benefit criminal illegal aliens,” a DOJ spokesman told the Washington Examiner.
