A federal judge in California issued a preliminary injunction Thursday that blocked the Trump administration from withdrawing funds from so-called “sanctuary cities,” following lawsuits filed by San Francisco and other local governments across the United States.
“Cities and counties demonstrate the potential for irreparable harm,” wrote Judge William Orrick, Northern District of California, in order. “The threat of withholding funds causes irreparable injuries to them in the form of budget uncertainty, constitutional disenfranchisement, and eroding the trust between the cities and counties and the communities they serve.”
Oric Hearing the discussion at a hearing in San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon.
The plaintiffs are trying to block President Trump from enforcing executive orders that would halt federal funding to cities and other local governments that restrict local cooperation with federal immigration agents through sanctuary policies.
Officials in San Francisco and Santa Clara County, California, first filed the lawsuit in February. This was joined by several other California cities and counties, along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Seattle, Washington.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement before Wednesday’s hearing that Trump administration officials “want local police officers to command as federal (immigration and customs enforcement) agents, but they hope to support the federal funds supporting police departments, homelessness, local officials who will strengthen the threat of withholding federal funds supporting the public health system, and the public health system.”
“As we saw, the Trump administration has now deported someone by mistake, and ice agents have illegally arrested US citizens,” Chiu allegedly.
In an interview with CBS News Bay Area on Thursday afternoon, Chiu said, “I am truly grateful to the judge for repeating what I had known for eight years.”
San Francisco sued the first Trump administration in 2017 after attempting to withhold federal funds from the city for its sanctuary policy. The city won the lawsuit in 2018. After the appeals court ruled that the policy was legal and that withholding funds was unconstitutional;.
“This morning we just won, so we won,” Chiu said.
