In a significant move, the White House has announced that President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday aimed at identifying sanctuary cities. This initiative is part of a broader campaign to confront jurisdictions that limit their cooperation with immigration authorities. According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the executive order will instruct the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to pinpoint areas where local law enforcement has opted not to cooperate with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures.
Leavitt emphasized the order's straightforward message during a press briefing, stating, “Obey the law, respect the law, and don't obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation's communities.” This executive order is poised to pave the way for an increase in federal lawsuits against cities, states, and counties that intentionally restrict their cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Sanctuary jurisdictions maintain that working with ICE can drain local resources and erode trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities. In a letter addressed to the city council earlier this year, Keith Wilson, the mayor of Portland, OR, expressed solidarity with immigrant families, vowing that the city would strive to protect undocumented families by limiting cooperation with what he described as overreaching federal immigration enforcement.
Throughout Trump's administration, efforts have been made to withhold funding from sanctuary cities and states. During his first term, the Justice Department attempted to cut funding to several jurisdictions, but these locales often successfully challenged those actions in court. Recently, a federal judge issued a ruling that blocked the administration's latest attempt to withhold funding from 16 jurisdictions, including San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and New Haven.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco stated, “Here we are again,” highlighting the likely unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's actions and granting a preliminary injunction. Orrick noted that the threat to withhold funding could cause these jurisdictions irreparable harm, resulting in budgetary uncertainty, deprivation of constitutional rights, and a breakdown of trust between local governments and the communities they serve.
This executive order and its implications are expected to spark significant debate and legal challenges in the coming weeks, as both supporters and opponents of the measures prepare to defend their positions on immigration enforcement and community safety.
