CALIFORNIA – A federal judge has blocked an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that would cut federal funding to cities his administration feels do not meet the government’s criteria of enforcing immigration laws.
In his ruling, federal judge William Orrick says the president cannot manipulate those federal funds.
“The President does not have the power to place conditions on federal funds and, obviously, cannot delegate this power,” Orrick states.
The judge’s order will permanently block Trump’s executive order barring more legal action. The Trump administration aimed to restrict federal funding from cities the government believed weren’t doing enough to enforce existing immigration laws. Orrick specifically mentioned what the president said, hurt his cause.
“The President has called it “a weapon” to use against jurisdictions that disagree with his preferred policies of immigration enforcement, and his press secretary reiterated that the President intends to ensure that “counties and other institutions that remain sanctuary cities don’t get federal government funding in compliance with the executive order,” Orrick writes.
Several California cities sued as a result of the executive order and asked for it to be blocked because it was an overreach of presidential powers. The federal judge agreed.
“Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the President disapproves,” Orrick writes.
Although the ruling came from California, this decision impacts all cities labeled as sanctuary cities.
“The defendants are permanently enjoined from enforcing Section 9(a) of the Executive Order against jurisdictions they deem as sanctuary jurisdictions,” Orrick states.