Two Mass. cities sue Trump over targeting sanctuary cities
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Chelsea and Somerville are suing the Trump administration over his threats to pull federal funding over their sanctuary city policies.
Why it matters: Massachusetts cities are resisting President Trump's second attempt to force compliance with civil immigration enforcement by taking the matter to court, which could affect Boston and hundreds of other pro-immigrant cities if the case proceeds.
The latest: Attorneys representing Chelsea and Somerville filed the suit Monday in Boston federal court.
- The complaint asks a district court judge to pause executive orders that threaten to pull federal funding from and prosecute cities that don't fully cooperate with federal immigration-related requests.
State of play: These cities rely on millions in federal grants to fund police work, infrastructure projects and other local activities.
- In fiscal 2024, Somerville received roughly $19.4 million in federal funding and Chelsea got $14.5 million.
Yes, but: Both cities' leaders say they have limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on civil matters in part to ensure immigrants feel safe in reporting crimes and cooperating with police.
- The policies stem from a 2017 state Supreme Judicial Court case ruling that state law holds "no authority for Massachusetts court officers to arrest and hold an individual solely on the basis of a federal civil immigration detainer."
Zoom in: The cities fighting Trump's orders are among the most diverse in the state.
- Chelsea is home to more than 38,000 residents, 65% of whom are Latino. Nearly half are foreign-born.
- Somerville has more than 80,000 residents, and one-fourth are foreign-born.
- "Without assurances that they will not be subjected to an immigration investigation and possible deportation, many immigrants with critical information would not come forward, even when heinous crimes are committed against them," a Chelsea police policy states.
What they're saying: "Chelsea will not be intimidated. We will continue to provide services, resources and support to every member of our community," Chelsea city manager Fidel Maltez told reporters Monday.
- ICE did not respond to an email requesting comment on the lawsuit.
Flashback: Chelsea and Lawrence sued Trump during his first term over his sanctuary city policies, arguing his threats to bar them from federal funding was unconstitutional.
- The lawsuit dragged on into President Biden's term and it was ultimately dismissed.
- By that point, the Biden administration had rescinded Trump's first executive order targeting sanctuary cities.
- San Francisco prevailed in a separate lawsuit against the Trump administration in his first term, in which federal judges ruled the city's sanctuary ordinances were lawful and that they couldn't lose federal grants over them.
Zoom out: The Trump administration recently sued Illinois and Chicago over their sanctuary city policies, arguing they block federal authorities from enforcing immigration laws.
The lawsuit comes days after Boston again came under scrutiny by Trump's border czar, Tom Homan.
- Homan, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, blasted Boston police commissioner Michael Cox for doubling down on the police department's policy to not cooperate with civil detainer requests that don't involve criminal charges.
- Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who is expected to testify next month in front of a House panel about Boston's sanctuary policies, called the remarks "insulting."