A federal judge in California ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot withhold or condition federal funding for 34 cities and counties that have adopted “sanctuary” policies limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick extended a preliminary injunction he had previously issued covering more than a dozen jurisdictions, this time broadening the protection to include dozens more localities across the country.
Orrick’s ruling also bars the administration from attaching immigration-related conditions to two separate grant programs that had been threatened.
Unconstitutional “Coercive Threat”
The Trump administration argued against an extension of the injunction, saying the first ruling was already under appeal and incorrect. But Orrick rejected that, writing that President Trump’s executive order — and “the executive actions that have parroted them” — amounted to a “coercive threat” that violated the Constitution.
“The administration may not condition the receipt of federal funds on compliance with immigration-enforcement demands that Congress has not authorized,” Orrick wrote.
Trump’s Executive Order
The dispute stems from a Trump executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure federal funds