According to AP, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled that 34 cities and countiesâ€"including major urban centers such as Boston, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angelesâ€"cannot be denied federal grants because of their policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration had attempted to use executive orders to pressure local governments, making access to federal funds conditional on their compliance with immigration directives.
One executive order issued by Trump directs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withhold federal money from sanctuary jurisdictions.
Another order directs every federal agency to ensure that payments to state and local governments do not 'abet so-called 'sanctuary' policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.'
Judge Orrick found this approach unconstitutional, saying it amounted to coercion and exceeded the authority of the executive branch.
His decision not only broadens an earlier ruling, which covered a smaller number of jurisdictions, but also blocks the government from attaching immigration-related conditions to specific grant programs.
The ruling highlights the continuing clash between the federal government and local authorities over immigration enforcement.
Sanctuary jurisdictions maintain that their policies are designed to build trust with immigrant communities, while the administration argues they undermine national immigration law.
Rania Umutoni
