US judge blocks Trump's sanctuary cities order

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A judge in San Francisco, California blocked Tuesday President Donald Trump's effort to defund localities that limit cooperation with federal immigration officers.

The Trump administration had sought to freeze federal grants to "sanctuary cities", but U.S. District Judge William Orrick said in his ruling that doing so would be unconstitutional.

While state and local law enforcement can opt to participate in federal operations, they are not obligated to do so.

"The Constitution vests the spending powers in Congress, not the President, so the Order cannot constitutionally place new conditions on federal funds," Orrick wrote in his ruling.

"Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the President disapproves," he added.

The lawsuits alleged that Trump's order has caused budgetary uncertainty, which Orrick ruled is causing the jurisdictions "irreparable harm".

San Francisco and Santa Clara County's lawsuits are likely to succeed, Orrick wrote as he granted a preliminary injunction halting Trump's order.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Anadolu Agency's request for comment.

Over 150 jurisdictions across the U.S. can be classified to some extent as being a sanctuary city. The Trump administration has maintained that such localities offer safe haven to criminals who pose threats to public safety.

But San Francisco, and cities like it, have argued that forcing local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws would damage community trust, and would result in fewer crimes being reported.