The Trump administration intensified its legal push against sanctuary cities Monday, filing a federal lawsuit against Los Angeles over its immigration policies, which officials claim are undermining national enforcement efforts and fueling unrest.
Filed in U.S. District Court, the lawsuit accuses Los Angeles of violating federal law by refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities. Specifically, the city’s sanctuary ordinance bars local police from using public resources to aid in immigration enforcement or sharing information about undocumented residents, a policy the administration describes as “illegal.”
According to the complaint, the city’s approach obstructs the White House’s broader immigration crackdown, which the filing frames as a response to a “crisis of illegal immigration.” Los Angeles joins a growing list of sanctuary jurisdictions, including New York, New Jersey, and Colorado, that have faced similar lawsuits from the federal government under President Donald Trump.
Chad Mizelle, chief of staff to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, made the administration’s position clear in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “We will keep enforcing federal immigration law in Los Angeles, whether or not the city’s government or residents agree with it.”
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City officials, however, stood firm in their defense. A spokesperson for City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto insisted the ordinance complies fully with federal law and constitutional standards separating local and federal authority. “Our city remains committed to standing up for our constitutional rights and the rights of our residents,” said spokesperson Ivor Pine in an AP report.
Los Angeles Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who co-authored the sanctuary legislation, blasted the lawsuit as part of a political agenda that targets immigrant communities. “Trump is tearing families apart,” he said, vowing that the city “would do everything in its power to protect its residents.”
“We refuse to stand by and let Donald Trump deport innocent families,” Soto-Martinez added.
The lawsuit explicitly connects Trump’s immigration push to his 2024 campaign, claiming he “won the presidential election on a platform of deporting the millions of illegal immigrants.” Over the past three weeks, federal immigration agents have ramped up operations across Southern California, arresting hundreds, a surge that has triggered waves of protest.
Tensions have spilled into the streets of downtown Los Angeles, where tens of thousands have rallied against the raids, the deployment of National Guard troops, and reports of Marines supporting enforcement efforts. Clashes between protesters and law enforcement have led to over 100 arrests. Charges range from vandalism and arson to assaulting federal officers and damaging autonomous Waymo vehicles.
In its complaint, the Justice Department claims that Los Angeles’ refusal to assist immigration authorities has directly contributed to what it describes as “lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism” since June 6.
Though protests have remained concentrated in several downtown blocks near government buildings, the city imposed and later lifted a curfew aimed at curbing nighttime disturbances. Mayor Karen Bass ended the curfew on June 18, a week after it was introduced to deter property damage.
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