Mayor Applauds 34 U.S. Cities, Counties That Joined Lawsuit Against Trump Admin On Defunding Threat

From the Office of the Mayor:

NEW HAVEN, CT — Mayor Justin Elicker applauded the addition of 34 new cities and counties to the growing nationwide coalition of local jurisdictions suing the Trump Administration over unlawfully attempting to withhold federal funds from local governments unless they assist the federal government with its immigration enforcement responsibilities. The lawsuit, City of San Francisco, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al., was initially filed on February 7th by five jurisdictions that included the City of New Haven and has now expanded to 50 jurisdictions representing over 28 million residents across the country.

The lawsuit argues that forcing local governments to aid in federal immigration enforcement violates the 10th Amendment, which protects states’ rights to govern their own affairs. It also cites the constitutional principle of separation of powers, which prevents one branch or level of government from overstepping its authority and interfering with the functions of another.

“New Haven was proud to be one of the first cities in the nation to speak out and fight back against President Trump and his administration’s illegal attempt to withhold federal funds and coerce local law enforcement into doing ICE’s job. It’s encouraging to see so many other cities and counties join this effort to stand up to the Trump Administration’s unlawful and immoral immigration policies that are harming our residents and making our communities less safe,” said Mayor Elicker. “New Haven is a welcoming city and we’re committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that all our residents feel safe calling the police, seeking medical care, sending their children to school, and accessing critical public services. It’s not only the right policy, it’s the practical policy – and we will continue to stand up for our residents and our values.”

The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. 25-cv-01350) and a Preliminary Injunction Order was issued by United States District Judge William H. Orrick on April 24th, preventing the Trump Administration from taking these actions against the then 16 plaintiffs. Yesterday, the court held a hearing and is now considering whether to extend this relief to the 34 newest plaintiffs. Judge Orrick also indicated he will issue an order that discusses the issues and reasoning at length at a later date. The Trump Administration has filed an appeal of the April 24 Temporary Injunction Order, which is pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The City of New Haven and several other jurisdictions are working with Public Rights Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with local governments to protect civil rights and counsel from other plaintiff jurisdictions.

“These unlawful executive orders are fear tactics — plain and simple,” said Jill Habig, founder and CEO of Public Rights Project. “The Trump administration is asserting power it doesn’t have to coerce compliance with its extreme federal deportation agenda. We need to ignore the bluster and pay attention to facts: sanctuary policies make us all safer and ensure communities are welcoming places for everyone.”

The court order granting the Preliminary Injunction prevents the federal government from enforcing the illegal Executive Orders and agency directives targeting welcoming and sanctuary jurisdictions against the Plaintiffs. The Court found that the Executive Orders impose unconstitutionally ‘coercive condition[s] intended to commandeer local officials into enforcing federal immigration practices and laws,” and that they “violate the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the Spending Clause” and “are unconstitutionally vague and violate due process.”

The original plaintiffs included five jurisdictions:

• New Haven, Connecticut
• King County, Washington
• Portland, Oregon
• San Francisco (City and County), California
• Santa Clara County, California

The second group of plaintiffs joined in late February and included an additional 11 jurisdictions:

• Emeryville, California
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Monterey County, California
• Oakland, California
• Sacramento, California
• San Diego, California
• San José, California
• Santa Cruz, California
• Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Seattle, Washington
• St. Paul, Minnesota

The latest group of plaintiffs joined this month and includes an additional 34 jurisdictions:

• Alameda County, California
• Albany, New York
• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Benicia, California
• Bend, Oregon
• Berkeley, California
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Cathedral City, California
• Chicago, Illinois
• Columbus, Ohio
• Culver City, California
• Dane County, Wisconsin
• Denver, Colorado
• Healdsburg, California
• Hennepin County, Minnesota
• Los Angeles, California
• Marin County, California
• Menlo Park, California
• Multnomah County, Oregon
• Pacifica, California
• Palo Alto, California
• Petaluma, California
• Pierce County, Washington
• Richmond, California
• Rochester, New York
• Rohnert Park, California
• San Mateo County, California
• Santa Rosa, California
• Sonoma County, California
• Watsonville, California
• Wilsonville, Oregon

In Mayor Elicker’s first year in office, he signed a Welcoming City executive order, affirming the city’s commitment to ensuring residents feel safe accessing public services. The order prohibits city employees from asking about or disclosing an individual’s confidential information, including immigration status, unless required by state or federal law and prohibits city employees from assisting ICE unless required by federal law. Municipal pal employees were trained on the Welcoming City order earlier this year.

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the City of New Haven approximately $6.4 million in federal grants. These funds have been used to support various violence prevention programs, improve training and equipment for police officers, and support the Elm City C.O.M.P.A.S.S. crisis response team. Funds have also been used to create the city’s real-time crime center; purchase and installation of safety cameras, license plate readers and other public safety technology; support police overtime for crime suppression; purchase safety gear for police protection as well as other public safety related initiatives.