Similar lawsuits have been filed by the DOJ in Chicago, Colorado, and New Jersey, targeting those jurisdictions’ sanctuary policies.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on June 30 filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles over what it said are “sanctuary city” policies that shield illegal immigrants from deportation efforts, escalating a legal battle between the White House and Democrats in the state.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, lawyers for the DOJ argued that such policies block federal immigration enforcement and are illegal because only the federal government has the authority to enforce immigration law. The suit names the city, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the City Council as defendants.
What the Lawsuit Says
“The City of Los Angeles’ Sanctuary City laws are illegal,” the DOJ’s lawsuit states. “Those laws and policies are designed to and in fact do interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.
“The challenged law and policies of the City of Los Angeles obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.”
Specifically, the DOJ lawsuit targets policies that were initiated after President Donald Trump took office in January. It argues that those policies contributed to protests, unrest, and riots that occurred earlier in June over federal immigration efforts in Los Angeles.
Similar lawsuits have been filed by the DOJ in Chicago, Colorado, and New Jersey, targeting those jurisdictions’ sanctuary policies.
After Trump’s election in November 2024, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance that blocks city resources from being used for federal immigration measures.
One Los Angeles City Council member, Nithya Raman, described the measure as a “sanctuary city” ordinance. The ordinance codifies the protection of illegal immigrants in municipal law.
Council member Paul Krekorian said, “[The measure addresses] the need to ensure that our immigrant community here in Los Angeles understands that we understand their fear.”
