President Donald Trump's executive order to withhold funds from "sanctuary cities" that shield undocumented immigrants and fail to comply with federal immigration law was blocked on Tuesday by a federal judge in San Francisco.
Two localities, San Francisco and Santa Clara County, successfully won preliminary injunctions when they blocked Trump's Jan. 25 executive order, despite Trump saying that sanctuary jurisdictions cause "immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our republic," Bloomberg reported.
The city and county, however, disagree with Trump and argue that his executive order violates the Constitution and interferes with funding for local programs. Their victories are not permanent yet, as the federal government could still potentially ask the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco to overturn Tuesday's ruling, according to Bloomberg:
A victory for the city and county could reinforce similar policies in some of the nation’s largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It’s another blow to Trump’s call to tighten U.S. borders and crack down on those living in the U.S. illegally. He’s already lost multiple bids to impose a travel ban against citizens of six mostly Muslim countries.
Forcing sanctuary cities to cooperate with deporting undocumented immigrants was a key component of the president’s campaign vow to rid the U.S. of "bad hombres" entering from Mexico. Tuesday’s ruling may cause further frustration for an administration mired in litigation since its ninth day.
Earlier this month, California's state Senate passed the California values Act, which gives the whole state sanctuary status. This status prohibits agencies from sharing specific information with U.S. counterparts or arresting individuals on orders from agencies in Washington.