Trump administration sues Los Angeles over sanctuary city policies

Federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Los Angeles and several top officials for enacting sanctuary city laws after President Donald Trump’s reelection, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Los Angeles’s sanctuary law limits the extent to which local law enforcement is legally permitted to cooperate with federal immigration agents. These sanctuary city policies violate federal law and foster lawlessness in the city, the filing alleged. The city’s instability reached such heights that the National Guard and the U.S. Marines were called in to stop looting and vandalism, the release noted. LA is flouting federal law and prioritizing illegal migrants over actual American citizens, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in the Monday statement. This mentality ends under Trump, she added.

LA’s sanctuary laws were enacted after Trump’s reelection for the purpose of interfering with the federal government’s immigration initiatives, the DOJ added. The city council quickly passed legislation making Los Angeles a sanctuary city weeks after the 2024 election. California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a concerted effort to fast-track legislation late last year in order to “Trump-proof” the state before the president’s formal inauguration.

Is LA being sued because of the policy, or because the city is accused of trying to stall Trump’s agenda? The DOJ noted that the legal action against Los Angeles was just one case in a string of lawsuits targeting sanctuary cities. New York City became a sanctuary city in 1989, and New Jersey has functioned as a sanctuary state since 2018.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Trump calling for more ICE operations on sanctuary cities earlier this month.