San Francisco sues Trump over ‘sanctuary city’ order

The President’s order blocks federal funding to sanctuary cities. The cities refuse to use municipal funds to enforce federal immigration laws and typically forbid police or municipal employees to inquire about immigration status. “Not only is it unconstitutional, it’s un-American”, Herrera said at a January 31 City Hall news conference.

Trump said the order is to “protect the lives of the American people”.

He’s also ordered strengthening of the country’s deportation force, with a goal of hiring and training 10,000 more immigration officers.

Both the San Francisco and MA actions contend that Trump’s orders in question violate the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that powers not granted to the federal government should fall to the states.

San Francisco sued on the same day California lawmakers advanced a bill that would provide statewide sanctuary for immigrants by restricting local law enforcement from cooperating with US immigration authorities.

The suit comes amid growing rancor over Trump’s orders, which include restrictions on travel from some Muslim countries and plans to build a border wall. Supreme Court often overturns executive orders and Congress can decline them. There are about 400 sanctuary cities and counties in the United States.

San Francisco has been a sanctuary city since 1989.

Trump argued that some illegal immigrants in some sanctuary cities have committed grave crimes.

The second executive order, Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States signed by President Trump clearly notes, “Sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States willfully violate Federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States”.

Herrera added that there are at least an estimated 30,000 undocumented immigrants in San Francisco, adding that “the comfort and confidence of our residents” is paramount.

The legal crux of the lawsuit focuses on the concept of federalism, as Herrera asserts the U.S. Constitution grants state and local governments the power to make decisions in the interest of their residents.

The Hill reports that the measure, dubbed the California Values Act, would “prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from spending money to enforce federal immigration laws [and] would also ban immigration enforcement in state schools, health facilities and courthouses”. However, studies show undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be incarcerated than the general population. If the city is forced to cooperate with federal immigration agents, this could mean, depending on the severity of Trump’s future immigration mandates, substantial mass deportation.