SAN FRANCISCO – In its latest national battle over immigration, San Francisco on Friday said it was recently in the Trump administration to thwart deportation efforts and prosecute local officials withholding federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities. It has announced that it will file a federal lawsuit challenging the directions.
“The Trump administration is claiming rights it doesn’t have,” Ichi Atty said. David Chiu said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit. “This is the federal government that forces local officials to turn their will or face refunds or prosecutions, which is illegal or authoritarian. And last confirmed, we still have Living in a democracy under the rule of law, the federal government must follow the law.”
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California focuses on two recent directives issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, which withheld federal funds from sanctuary cities and pledges to threaten civil and criminal prosecutions against states and localities. I guess. An official accused of obstructing deportation actions.
A Jan. 21 memo from the Department of Justice stated that “federal law prohibits national and local officials from resisting, obstructing, obstructing, or otherwise not following legal immigration-related orders and demands. It warns local jurisdictions that it will prohibit them, and the sanctuary law “threatening public safety and national security.” A more pointed memo from February 5th called for the termination of federal funds to cities and states “which illegally obstruct federal law enforcement operations,” and “to investigate cases that involve such misconduct.” It includes the strategy of “The Fed.”
Not only has President Trump put panic into immigrant communities as he has pledged a massive deportation of immigrants without proper documentation, but the confusion and concerns in his local jurisdictions have led to those efforts. on whether federal funds could be revoked if they did not participate.
The San Francisco lawsuit aims to block the federal government from implementing the directive, claiming that they are unconstitutional and a violation of state rights, legislative spending powers, and legitimate processes.
San Francisco receives $3.1 billion annual federal funds, according to the City Attorney’s Office, which funds support many programs, including healthcare, education, transportation and infrastructure initiatives. The city receives at least $8.7 million a year from the U.S. Department of Justice for its public safety program. Chiu said the withdrawal of federal funds was “devastating” for San Francisco’s ability to pay services.
San Francisco is one of many jurisdictions across California that declared immigrant sanctuary. The term generally applies to policies that restrict local officials from working with federal authorities on the obligation to enforce citizen immigration.
California’s Value Act, the 2017 Sanctuary Act, prohibits state and local law enforcement from investigating, interrogating, and arresting people simply for immigration enforcement purposes. This law does not prevent federal authorities from carrying out these enforcement obligations in California. It also allows local police to work with federal immigration officials in limited circumstances, including involving immigrants convicted of certain violent felony or misdemeanors.
Under the Sanctuary Urban Act of LA, you cannot use “investigation, cite, arrest, retain, relocate, detention or detention” for the purposes of immigration enforcement using city employees and city property.
Chiu said the lawsuit was more urgent after the Trump administration sued Chicago and Illinois on Thursday, claiming that their sanctuary policies were obstructing federal immigration enforcement.
During Trump’s first term, San Francisco sued the administration over a similar order to limit federal funds flowing to cities that do not support federal agents in immigration enforcement. Chu said Friday that the federal government is still entitled to immigration enforcement measures and that it is within San Francisco’s authority to not support deportation.
“No one is hindering the ability to do federal government work,” Chiu said.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie repeated the sentiment. “My priority is to keep San Franciscans safe. That means keeping local law enforcement focused on local public safety,” Lurie said in a prepared statement. “Our city long-standing policies generally prohibit local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement, and these policies make us safer. So I’ve made them a point I support it.”
San Francisco is partnering with Santa Clara County to lead legal challenges. A coalition of jurisdiction, including Portland, Oregon, has signed the lawsuit. New Haven, Connecticut. King County, Wash.
“The federal government cannot command our local government. They cannot command our local resources, and they have the opportunity to do so by making our local law enforcement agencies a massive international We cannot lead to help implement our vision of exile,” Santa Clara County County Advisor Tony Lopresty said at a press conference.
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