Judge’s Order Blocking Trump From De-Funding Sanctuary Cities Upheld

A U.S. District Court judge on Thursday upheld a preliminary injunction he previously granted blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order stripping Santa Clara County and other so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” of federal funding.

Judge William Orrick also denied the federal government’s request to dismiss the county’s Feb. 3 lawsuit against the administration.

“Once again, the District Court has sent a message to President Trump that he cannot use the threat of withholding funds to coerce local governments into becoming federal immigration operatives — an unconstitutional effort that puts at risk vital services for millions of people across the country,” said county Board of Supervisors President Dave Cortese.

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With Santa Clara County and San Francisco’s landmark motion for a preliminary injunction upheld, the section of the executive order applying to sanctuary jurisdictions will not go into effect until the court rules on the county’s Feb. 3 lawsuit against the administration.

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The county will, for now, retain $1.7 billion in federal funding previously at stake under the executive order, which Santa Clara County officials said covers critical health and social services.

In the Bay Area, sanctuary counties include San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Alameda as well as cities such as Oakland and San Jose. Though many local jurisdictions have never officially designated themselves “sanctuaries,” they have said they will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement requirements that they turn over undocumented immigrants in their jail.

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