Trump DOJ Sues Los Angeles Over Sanctuary City Policy Amid Escalating Immigration Crackdown

The U.S. Department of Justice, under the Trump administration, has filed a landmark lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass, and City Council members, seeking to block enforcement of L.A.’s controversial sanctuary city ordinance. Filed on Monday in California’s Central District federal court, the suit alleges that Los Angeles’s policy is “illegal” and severely impedes federal efforts to address what the administration terms a “crisis of illegal immigration.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi asserted that L.A.’s sanctuary policies are the “driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement” recently witnessed in the city, stating that such jurisdictions “flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens.” This legal action follows President Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, with the lawsuit claiming L.A.’s ordinance seeks to “thwart the will of the American people.”

The lawsuit comes amidst heightened tensions, with federal immigration agents conducting widespread arrests across Southern California this month, leading to significant protests. Federal prosecutors claim L.A.’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities since early June has directly contributed to “lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism,” necessitating the deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines.

Mayor Karen Bass has vehemently refuted the administration’s portrayal of Los Angeles, labeling claims of the city being enveloped in violence as an “outright lie.” She argues that federal immigration agents are the true source of chaos, terrorizing families and harming the city’s economy. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez echoed this sentiment, condemning the president’s actions as “tearing families apart” and pursuing a “white nationalist agenda.”

Los Angeles’s sanctuary ordinance, finalized after Trump’s November 2024 victory, prohibits city employees and resources from being used for immigration enforcement, with exceptions for serious offenses. The DOJ’s complaint argues this violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by obstructing federal law enforcement and discriminating against federal agencies. Legal experts, however, suggest the lawsuit might conflict with the 10th Amendment, arguing the federal government cannot compel cities to use local resources for federal immigration enforcement.

As the city’s elected officials weigh their own legal action against the Trump administration to protect residents from potential constitutional rights violations, this federal lawsuit marks a significant escalation in the ongoing national debate over immigration policy and local autonomy.

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