The Trump administration escalated a Democrat-led state and city showdown over immigration enforcement on Monday, and announced that the president would sign “unleash American law enforcement in pursuit of criminals” and would directly sign federal agencies to release a list of “sanctuary cities” that do not work with immigration agencies.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt described the Sanctuary City executive order in a morning news briefing as “focusing on protecting American communities from criminal foreigners.”
The order directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to release a list of state and local jurisdictions “thwarts federal immigration law enforcement,” she said.
“It’s very easy,” Leavitt said during a briefing with Border Czar Tom Homan. “As per the law, respect the law and not interfere with federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials simply trying to remove the threat of public safety from our country’s communities.”
Trump focuses on immigration, a key platform for the 2024 election campaign. After the two executive orders were signed, the president signed more than 140 executive orders in three months, saying the figures he described as “quickly approaching the total number the Biden administration has signed over four years,” he said.
However, the administration is already facing legal obstacles as it seeks to punish sanctuary cities.
Last week, a federal judge in California banned the Trump administration from refusing or conditioning its use of federal funds to San Francisco, banning more than 12 other municipalities limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
US District Judge William Ollick said some of Trump’s executive orders were unconstitutional and that the defendant “prohibits directly or indirectly litigation to withhold, freeze or condition federal funds.”
As a blue state with a large immigrant population, California is a key player in the country’s immigration showdown.
After Trump’s November election victory, Gavin Newsom drafted a conceptual plan to support undocumented immigrants who are at the threat of deportation, calling for a special legislative meeting to approve $25 million in additional state funding for possible lawsuits against the Trump administration.
The Los Angeles City Council also supported the “Sanoric City” Act, which prohibits city employees and resources from being involved in federal immigration enforcement. The law did not prevent federal agents from making massive deportations across Los Angeles, but was intended as an indication that city hall would support immigration in a vast area.
On Friday, FBI agents accused Hannah Dugan of arresting Milwaukee county judge and obstructing immigrant arrest.
Asked whether the Trump administration would lock up federal or Supreme Court judges, Leavitt said:
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