Justice Department Sues LA Mayor And City Council Over 'Sanctuary City' Policies

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Department of Justice is suing the city of Los Angeles and several officials over its sanctuary city policies meant to protect immigrants amid a federal crackdown.

The lawsuit contends that the sanctuary city ordinance established by the city of Los Angeles violates the Constitution by "thwarting" immigration enforcement.

“Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement Monday. “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level – it ends under President Trump.”

The lawsuit comes just days after two Republican California lawmakers proposed a bill to repeal the state's sanctuary laws, accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of creating policies that help incite violence against federal agents.

It is also the Trump administration's latest front against the city. The administration has sought to make an example of Los Angeles, flooding streets with military and aggressive immigration raids unlike those conducted in other parts of the country. Masked Border Patrol agents in unmarked cars are pulling residents off the street, frequently detaining U.S. citizens who criticize their methods.

The lawsuit also accuses city officials of expressly designing these laws to "obstruct the federal government's enforcement of federal immigration law and impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe."

The sanctuary city ordinance in Los Angeles was unanimously adopted in December 2024 and codified protections for migrants living in the United States illegally, while prohibiting the direct or indirect sharing of data with federal immigration authorities.

As a sanctuary city, Los Angeles agencies are also not allowed to use resources or personnel, such as police departments, to help the federal government enforce immigration laws in most cases.

This has been the subject of controversy amidst increasingly aggressive immigration raids in Los Angeles since earlier this month.

Although the Los Angeles Police Department has said on multiple occasions that they are not helping federal agencies conduct these raids, many immigrant rights activist groups have denounced the police department's actions throughout protests.

The latest incident happened last week when federal agents arrested a U.S. citizen on her way to work. The arrest prompted a demonstration outside LAPD headquarters Tuesday, where Union del Barrio member Ron Gochez accused Mayor Karen Bass and the police department of collaborating with ICE.

"The people were coming out to defend them, and guess who protected the kidnappers who are kidnapping our people? LAPD officers,” Gochez said at a demonstration.

Protests have waned in many parts of the Southland, but the ongoing raids have continued to instill fear in immigrant communities, with officials in some cities canceling major events and pleading for people to stay indoors.

This also isn't the first time Trump has targeted sanctuary cities.

During this first term, he signed an executive order known as the Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, accusing sanctuary cities of violating federal law by attempting to shield immigrants from deportation, and said these cities would be stripped of federal funding.

After challenges by sanctuary cities such as San Francisco, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction against the order, followed by a nationwide injunction by Judge William Orrick, who ruled the section preventing sanctuary cities from receiving federal funds was unconstitutional. It also meant that federal agencies such as ICE couldn't make local jurisdictions do their work for them and act as detainers.

California Editor Kat Schuster and City News Service contributed to this report.