California sues Trump over immigration policy

California on Monday became the first state to sue the Trump administration over its sanctuary city policy. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed the legal challenge over the U.S. Justice Department’s threat to withhold grant money from jurisdictions that don’t comply with its new crackdown on illegal immigrants. “We abide by federal law. We respect the Constitution,” Becerra said at a news conference in San Francisco. “The federal government is using the threat of its power, of its size, to bully local jurisdictions to do what they want.” Last month, the Justice Department said it expects jurisdictions to give federal immigration authorities complete access to local jails and give at least 48 hours’ notice before releasing prisoners suspected of being illegal immigrants. Chicago filed a lawsuit last week challenging the policy. San Francisco sued on Monday just before Becerra filed the state lawsuit. Becerra said California does not plan to follow the Justice Department’s guidance and stands to lose $28 million in federal funds each year. The suit argues the Justice Department lacks authority to add new conditions to federal grants without legislation from Congress.