U.S. sues California over sanctuary laws
State officials vow to defend measures
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday sued to block California laws that extend protections to people living in the U.S. illegally, the most aggressive move yet in its push to force so-called sanctuary cities and states to cooperate with immigration authorities.
California officials remained defiant, vowing to defend their legislation.
Justice Department officials argued that a trio of state laws that, among other things, bar police from asking people about their citizenship status or from participating in federal immigration enforcement activities are unconstitutional and have kept federal agents from doing their jobs. The lawsuit named as defendants the state of California, Gov. Jerry Brown and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
“I say, bring it on,” said California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat who wrote the sanctuary state bill.
One of California’s laws prohibits employers from letting immigration agents enter work sites or view employee files without a subpoena or warrant, an effort to prevent workplace raids. Another stops local governments from contracting with for-profit companies and the federal immigration agency to hold aliens.
The lawsuit is the latest salvo in an escalating feud between the Trump administration and California, which has resisted the president on issues such as taxes and marijuana policy and defiantly refuses to help federal agents detain and deport illegal aliens. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said it will increase its presence in California, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions wants to cut off funding to jurisdictions that won’t cooperate.
The lawsuit was filed as the Justice Department also reviews Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s decision to warn of an immigration sweep in advance, which the immigration agency said allowed hundreds of people to elude detention.
The state laws being challenged were a response to Trump’s hawkish immigration policies and widespread fear in immigrant communities after a campaign in which he promised to sharply ramp up the deportation of people living in the U.S. illegally.
Information for this article was contributed by Jonathan Cooper and Kathleen Ronayne of The Associated Press.