Sanctified cities

President Trump’s threat to strip billions of dollars in federal funding from cities and counties that refuse to fully cooperate with immigration officers is unconstitutional, according to a new ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco.

This is not completely new news. The same judge, U.S. District Judge William Orrick III, issued a nationwide injunction of Trump’s executive order on sanctuary cities in April. But the new ruling went even further.

Orrick ruled that Trump has committed multiple constitutional violations — usurping Congress’ power over federal spending, attempting to coerce local governments, and seeking to defund programs unrelated to immigration.

Because the Trump administration is not trying to enforce the president’s executive order, Orrick’s nowpermanent injunction has no immediate impact.

What is immediate about Orrick’s ruling, however, is its impact for cities and counties around the country.

Orrick issued the injunction on behalf of San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, but local governments all over the country are confronting Trump’s cruel and drastic interpretation of immigration law.

Local leaders are right to defy Trump’s demands that they alter their policies to suit his immigration whims. Allowing local police to act as immigration authorities undermines community trust, and local leaders need to preserve their resources to fight real crime. Their wise and ethical mission just got another well-deserved boost from the courts.