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A federal judge in California has issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the Trump administration from withdrawing funds from “sanctuary cities,” following legal action initiated by San Francisco and several other municipalities across the nation.
Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California articulated in his ruling that the involved cities and counties have shown a significant likelihood of experiencing irreparable harm. He noted that the threat of funding cuts could result in severe consequences, including budgetary instability, infringements on constitutional rights, and a erosion of trust between local governments and their communities.
The hearing took place in San Francisco on Wednesday, where arguments were made regarding President Trump’s executive orders aimed at enforcing conditions that would withhold federal funding from cities that restrict cooperation with immigration enforcement.
The lawsuit was originally brought forth by officials from San Francisco and Santa Clara County in February, and has since been joined by additional cities and counties in California as well as municipalities from Minnesota, New Mexico, and Washington including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Santa Fe, and Seattle.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu commented prior to the hearing that the Trump administration appears to be attempting to use local police as extensions of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. He expressed concerns over the implications of federal funding being tied to local compliance, indicating that such tactics strain resources essential for law enforcement, homelessness interventions, and public health initiatives.
Chiu further alleged that the Trump administration had wrongly deported individuals and that ICE had conducted unlawful arrests of U.S. citizens. This case marks a continuation of San Francisco’s legal battles with the Trump administration, as the city previously challenged a similar funding withdrawal in 2017, ultimately winning the case in 2018 when a court deemed the fund withholding unconstitutional.
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