San Francisco is leading a group of sanctuary cities in a lawsuit against the federal government over Donald Trump's plans to deport millions of illegal aliens.
In addition to San Francisco, Santa Clara County, California, Portland, Oregon, New Haven, Connecticut, and King County, Washington joined in the complaint, with more cities expected to add their jurisdictions to the list, according to San Francisco city attorney David Chiu.
Chiu claims that Trump's actions are an illegal "power grab." “No one is interfering with the federal government’s ability to do their job, but the Trump administration is certainly interfering with our ability to do our job,” Mr. Chiu said Friday. “This is the federal government coercing local officials to bend to their will or face defunding or prosecution, and that is illegal or authoritarian.”
The federal government's job is to deport criminal illegal aliens. Sanctuary cities are refusing to keep criminal illegals jailed until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can pick them up. If it's not "interfering with the federal government’s ability to do their job," what do you call it?
“The Trump administration is asserting a right it does not have. They are trying to tell us how to use our resources and to commandeer our local law enforcement.”
Authorities in red cities and red states have absolutely no problem cooperating with ICE and other federal authorities when it comes to holding illegals until they can be transferred to the feds. Chiu's argument is fallacious.
“We are striving to create a culture of trust and security within our communities so that our residents know that they can come to the county when they are in need,” said Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti. “That includes feeling safe coming to local law enforcement to report crimes or to participate in investigations without fearing that they or their loved ones face deportation.”
This is the primary argument sanctuary cities use, and it's unprovable. Illegal aliens rarely cooperate with police in any case. Even in sanctuary jurisdictions, officials still send the fingerprints of any person—including an immigrant— booked into a prison or jail to the federal government; the federal government then uses that information to identify noncitizens for potential deportation.
More from Politico:
Meanwhile, authorities in some conservative pockets of California are eager to help. Huntington Beach in Orange County declared itself a “non-sanctuary city” after Trump’s inauguration, and the mayor of El Cajon near San Diego said he has met with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan to discuss how his city might navigate conflicting requests from state and local government.
Chiu noted that federal courts have previously upheld sanctuary laws, including California’s statewide policy that generally prohibits state and local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration laws. The state’s law, SB 54, weathered a legal challenge during Trump’s first administration.
It's one thing to not cooperate with ICE. But actively attempting to undermine ICE in carrying out its duties is illegal. Broadcasting where ICE will conduct a sweep, instructing illegal aliens about ways to defeat ICE sweeps, and publicizing the names and addresses of ICE agents are all illegal.
Very soon, someone such as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will test the mettle of immigration czar Tom Homan, and force Homan to arrest him. That will bring the issue to a head, and clarify how far sanctuary cities will be allowed to go in their non-cooperation with the feds.
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