Obama Judge Blocks Trump From Defunding Sanctuary Cities
A federal judge appointed by Barack Obama has blocked President Donald Trump from defunding sanctuary cities, issuing a major legal roadblock to the administration’s crackdown on jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick, appointed in 2012, extended a preliminary injunction on Friday that bars the Trump administration from withholding federal funds or attaching immigration-related conditions to funding for dozens of local governments. The ruling protects more than 30 sanctuary jurisdictions, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Baltimore.
Orrick also barred the administration from imposing immigration conditions on two key federal grant programs.
Judge Calls Trump Order ‘Unconstitutional Coercion’
In his ruling, Orrick claimed that Trump’s executive order — designed to protect Americans from unvetted illegal immigrants — amounted to unconstitutional coercion by threatening to withhold funding from non-compliant jurisdictions. The order, signed by Trump in January, was titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” and directed the Department of Justice and Homeland Security to ensure that sanctuary cities would not receive federal funding.
The EO also instructed federal agencies to take any lawful actions — criminal or civil — against jurisdictions interfering with federal immigration enforcement.
DOJ Lawsuits Target LA and NYC
The Trump administration has not just relied on executive orders, but also pursued direct legal action against some of the most prominent sanctuary cities. In June, the DOJ sued Los Angeles, arguing that its policies limiting cooperation with ICE violate federal law. A month later, a similar suit was filed against New York City.
Trump: ‘No More Sanctuary Cities!’
President Trump has been vocal in his opposition to sanctuary jurisdictions, calling them dangerous and lawless.
“No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in April. “Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!”
White House Expected To Appeal
The Trump administration is expected to appeal Orrick’s ruling. Officials argue that the executive order falls well within the president’s authority to set conditions on the disbursement of federal funds, especially when national security and immigration enforcement are involved.
The legal battle sets the stage for a broader Supreme Court showdown over the extent to which federal funds can be used to compel local compliance with immigration law — a key pillar of Trump’s second-term agenda.