Trump’s Justice Department Sues California Over Immigration Enforcement
In the latest battle in the Trump Administration’s war with sanctuary cities, the Department of Justice has sued the state of California over recent enacted policies which inhibit the ability of federal law enforcement’s efforts to enforce immigration law. Governor Jerry Brown, and California state Attorney General Xavier Becerra were also named in the lawsuit, and when announcing the lawsuit at an annual gathering of law enforcement in Sacramento, Attorney General Jeff Sessions accused Oakland mayor Libby Schaff of endangering law enforcement officers after she issued a public warning of federal immigration enforcement raids. The three main policies which are mentioned in the law suit are SB 54, AB 450, and AB 103. SB 54 prohibits law enforcement officials from informing federal immigration agents of release dates for prisoners in their custody who are facing deportation or transferring those individuals into the custody of federal agents. AB 450 disallows cooperation between private employers and immigration agents conducting worksite operations and mandates that those employers inform their employees in the event federal agents come to conduct an inspection. AB 103 mandates that the state of California inspect detention facilities in which federal authorities hold immigrants facing deportation. Proponents of these laws assert its encouragement of local immigrant populations to remain transparent with local law enforcement regarding occurrences of crime without fear of deportation, while the Justice Department argues the reasoning behind hindering federal law enforcements efforts to deport an individual who has violated state law. The Justice Department asked in the suit that the laws be ruled invalid their enforcement be blocked, but in defense of the laws, Attorney General Becerra cited the 10th amendment of the constitution which protects a state’s right to determine public safety.
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