San Francisco sues Trump over sanctuary city threats
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A protest outside the San Francisco office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 12, 2019. Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
San Francisco is suing the Trump administration over its crackdown on cities with sanctuary policies that prohibit local law enforcement from aiding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in arresting undocumented immigrants.
Why it matters: President Trump has ordered federal prosecutors to investigate local and state officials in cities with sanctuary laws and threatened to pull federal funding if they do not comply.
- The lawsuit comes one day after the U.S. Department of Justice sued Chicago and the state of Illinois over their sanctuary laws.
What they're saying: "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," city attorney David Chiu said in a news release.
- "This is the federal government coercing local officials to bend to their will or face defunding or prosecution. That is illegal and authoritarian."
State of play: San Francisco's sanctuary policies, in place since 1989, bar police from asking about immigration status and holding people in custody for federal agents.
- The lawsuit, led by San Francisco and filed with several other jurisdictions, says these types of policies bolster trust between law enforcement and communities and encourages crime victims and witnesses to report crimes.
- They also allow cities and states to prioritize resources for crime fighting efforts instead of having to take on the federal government's immigration enforcement duties, the filing argues.
- If federal authorities have legal standing to arrest someone, they can do so by obtaining a criminal warrant or court order, per the lawsuit.
The other side: The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Flashback: Trump attempted to withhold federal funds from San Francisco due to its sanctuary policies in his first term — those actions were ruled unconstitutional by several federal district courts and the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
- The Supreme Court also upheld California's 2017 sanctuary law despite the Trump administration's challenge in 2020.
The big picture: Trump escalated efforts to crack down on undocumented immigrants upon re-entering the White House, resulting in over 3,500 arrests in his first week in office.
- The Bay Area hasn't been immune — there were several reports of ICE sightings in recent weeks, and some local school districts have begun training staff on how to respond in case ICE officers show up on campus.
- Though his administration has attempted to paint undocumented immigrants as a threat to public safety, numerous studies show that they do not commit crimes at a higher rate than American citizens.