Trump’s order on ‘sanctuary cities’ blocked

President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed as “ridiculous” a US judge’s ruling blocking an executive order that could deny billions of dollars to so-called sanctuary cities harboring illegal immigrants.

Judge William Orrick of San Francisco’s federal court on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction barring any attempt to implement Trump’s January 25 executive order.

“First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban & now it hits again on sanctuary cities - both ridiculous rulings. See you in the Supreme Court!” Trump tweeted.

Orrick wrote that 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.”

His decision, which could affect more than 300 cities and counties that have denounced Trump’s order, is another blow to the White House following successful court challenges to its two travel bans targeting Muslimmajority countries. The White House reacted with a vitriolic statement late Tuesday, saying “the rule of law suffered another blow, as an unelected judge unilaterally rewrote immigration policy”. The “erroneous ruling is a gift to the criminal gang and cartel element in our country,” and “one more example of egregious overreach,” it said. AFP Trips to Mar-a-Lago, his private resort in Florida

Key administrative positions confirmed by Senate out of 556 that need such confirmation