Judge Blocks Trump from Defunding Sanctuary Cities

A federal judge on Friday extended a preliminary injunction that blocks President Trump from withholding funds from more than 30 “sanctuary cities” over policies that restrict local police from participating in immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco, an appointee of former President Obama, wrote in his decision that the Trump administration did little to object to his original order, instead appealing the decision and merely arguing the injunction was wrong. He also barred the administration from imposing conditions on grant programs that provide funding “for a variety of critical needs.”

Orrick wrote that the executive orders issued by the president requiring federal agencies to remove funding from jurisdictions that don’t adhere to the administration’s immigration agenda is a “coercive threat” that is “unconstitutional.”

The list of “sanctuary cities” protected by the ruling include Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago, among others. The latest decision widens the scope of Orrick’s April order which also shielded cities in the West such as Portland, Ore., Seattle and San Francisco.

Despite the original ruling, Attorney General Pam Bondi personally sent letters to multiple jurisdictions last week threatening legal recourse for those who have “undermined” or “obstructed” federal forces.

In May, the Department of Homeland Security publicly listed 500 cities, counties and states that were not adhering to their interpretation of immigration laws. The list has been removed.

Trump, since returning to the White House in January, has also surged funding to carry out his crackdown on illegal immigration. The massive spending and tax bill, signed into law last month, also includes a boost in funds for immigration enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

An uptick in ICE deportation raids, primarily in blue-run cities, have triggered protests across the nation. Democrats have also pushed back on the administration’s moves to build more migrant detention facilities that hold those awaiting deportation — such as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades — sparking legal battles.