Nearly a dozen cities and counties — including several in the Bay Area — have signed onto a recent lawsuit led by Santa Clara County and San Francisco against the Trump administration, as the fight grows between the feds and local governments that have declared themselves “sanctuaries” for immigrants living in the country illegally.
The lawsuit, which was originally filed Feb. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, attempts to block an executive order that threatens to withhold billions of dollars in federal funds from local and state governments that refuse to aid federal immigration officials.
The amended complaint was filed on Thursday and adds 11 sanctuary jurisdictions with these policies to the lawsuit, including seven California localities: San Jose, San Diego, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Emeryville and Monterey County. Minneapolis, Seattle, Santa Fe, N.M.; and St. Paul, Minn. were also added.
“These are local governments, large and small, in very different parts of the state and the nation, that are taking a stand against the federal government’s attempt to unconstitutionally commandeer local resources to assist with immigration enforcement,” Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said in a news release. “These are jurisdictions that believe in local governments’ right to ensure that their limited resources are used to care for communities rather than tear them apart.”
President Donald Trump has ramped up his rhetoric about sanctuary jurisdictions since taking office in January, going as far as threatening to prosecute local officials who don’t comply with his orders. The Department of Justice has already targeted Chicago and the state of Illinois, claiming in a lawsuit earlier this month that local policies are in violation of federal immigration laws.
Santa Clara County and San Francisco argued in the lawsuit that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and commandeering local law enforcement distracts from local issues.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement that “unfairly targeting cities based on ideology goes against the democratic values that created this country.”
San Jose has avoided used the term “sanctuary city,” instead deeming itself a “welcoming city.” The city has had a policy since 2007 that it will not be involved with immigration enforcement.
“The truth is, our policies related to immigration enforcement mirror those in places like Dallas, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina,” Mahan said. “And that’s because whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or anything in between, the fundamental responsibility of government is keeping people safe — and to unlawfully threaten to withhold funding for programs like DNA analysis and police equipment makes us all less safe.”
Santa Clara County Executive James Williams said last month that he is confident they will prevail in the legal battle. In 2017, Trump signed a similar executive order attempting to freeze funding to sanctuary jurisdiction. Local governments, including Santa Clara County, successfully sued to stop the order.