30.06.2025 21:03

Former President Trump's administration initiated legal action against the city of Los Angeles on Monday. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court within the Los Angeles area, centers on the city's sanctuary city policies and alleges that these policies actively hinder federal immigration enforcement efforts.

This legal challenge names Mayor Karen Bass, the Los Angeles City Council, and its president, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, as defendants. The core of the complaint rests on the Council's decision last year to formally enshrine Los Angeles's sanctuary city status. The lawsuit claims this action directly undermines the ability of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to fulfill their congressionally mandated responsibilities.

The suit further contends that the city's policies, which restrict the use of city resources in assisting federal immigration enforcement, have fueled unrest. Specifically, it links these policies to recent anti-immigration protests, alleging they incited "lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism." The lawsuit also criticizes Mayor Bass for attributing the ensuing chaos solely to federal immigration raids, neglecting, according to the suit, the city's own contribution to the situation. A critical element cited is the City Council's demand for advance notice of federal immigration raids and the sanctuary city ordinance's prohibition against LAPD and other local law enforcement agencies sharing information about a detainee's immigration status with federal authorities.

The lawsuit asserts that the sanctuary city ordinance violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes federal law as supreme to state or local law. Therefore, the Trump administration seeks a court declaration invalidating the ordinance and preventing its enforcement, arguing that it constitutes an unconstitutional infringement on federal authority. This legal battle represents another chapter in the ongoing conflict between federal immigration enforcement and local jurisdictions adopting sanctuary city policies. The protests that spurred this legal action mirrored similar demonstrations in other locations across the country.