A federal judge expressed on Friday that previous decisions involving President Trump’s executive orders cannot be circumvented by using sanctuary city policies to limit federal funding withdrawals from 16 jurisdictions.
U.S. District Judge William Ollick indicated that these local governments have a “pre-enforcement position” allowing them to engage with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on their own terms.
“It is important to state clearly that neither Executive Order 14,287 nor any administrative directive can be leveraged to bypass the provisional injunction,” stated the judge, appointed by Obama.
Ollick has instructed the government to notify all relevant departments and agencies in writing by Friday to clarify the scope of the interim injunction. He emphasized that the injunction applies to any “prohibited conduct” by the government, covering established enforcement orders and unpublished executive actions.
The Trump administration is confronting numerous legal challenges related to deportations. Since November, officials have indicated plans for what could become the most extensive deportation initiative in U.S. history.
Last September, the President suggested creating an entire city as part of a broader ban on sanctuary policies.
“Once I take office, we’ll ramp up federal law enforcement in struggling cities, many of which harbor criminal aliens. We will focus on gang members, drug dealers, rapists, murderers, and illegally residing immigrant offenders,” he asserted.
The President has also urged Congress to legislate a nationwide ban on sanctuary cities, emphasizing that he would leverage the full authority of the federal government against jurisdictions that do not comply with ICE demands.
Federal law enforcement and agencies have already been involved in ICE operations in Florida, resulting in the arrest of over 1,000 undocumented migrants.
As of now, lawmakers have yet to receive any proposal targeting sanctuary jurisdictions.
