Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Los Angeles, Jul 1: In a dramatic escalation of its immigration crackdown, the Donald Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, its mayor Karen Bass, and the city council, accusing them of obstructing federal immigration enforcement and fostering public disorder through their sanctuary city policies.
The federal lawsuit, filed on Monday, marks one of the most high-profile legal battles in President Trump’s second term, reigniting a fierce national debate over immigration and states’ rights. The legal complaint argues that Los Angeles's ordinances directly violate the U.S. Constitution by impeding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and promoting a "culture of non-cooperation" with federal law.
“In 2024, then-candidate Donald J. Trump campaigned and won the presidential election on a platform of deporting the millions of illegal immigrants the previous administration permitted to enter the country unlawfully,” the lawsuit states. “The Los Angeles City Council, seeking to thwart the will of the American people, began codifying its Sanctuary City policies shortly after the election.”
The administration further alleges that these policies have resulted in rising crime, including incidents of rioting, looting, and attacks on law enforcement, which it links to recent federal immigration raids in the Southland region.
Reacting to the lawsuit, LA city councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez condemned the move. “Trump is tearing families apart,” he said in a statement to ABC7. “He's trying to force every city and town to help him carry out his white nationalist agenda. We will not stand by and let Donald Trump deport innocent families. We’re going to do everything within our power to keep families together.”
However, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi supported the administration's legal stance. “Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” she asserted. “Jurisdictions like LA that prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level — and it ends under President Trump.”
The lawsuit could have far-reaching implications. Several other California cities — including Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Ana, and West Hollywood — have enacted similar sanctuary ordinances. President Trump has frequently threatened to cut federal funding to such local governments, claiming they put undocumented immigrants above citizen safety.
As the legal battle unfolds, constitutional experts anticipate that the case may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, potentially setting new legal precedents in the ongoing tug-of-war between federal immigration authority and local governance.
Meanwhile, immigration advocates and civil rights groups are rallying to defend the sanctuary policies, warning that the Trump administration’s actions could tear apart communities and provoke further unrest in immigrant-rich cities.
With the lawsuit now filed, the spotlight once again returns to the heated battleground of immigration policy — an issue that continues to define Donald Trump’s presidency and sharply divide America’s political landscape.