Federal judge dismisses Trump suit over LA sanctuary city law

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging Los Angeles' so-called sanctuary city ordinance, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced Monday.

A U.S. District Court judge granted the city's motion to dismiss the federal government's challenge to a 2024 ordinance that prohibits city resources, property and personnel from cooperating with federal immigration authorities or sharing information about an individual's immigration status. 

The ordinance, formally known as the "Prohibition of the Use of City Resources for Federal Immigration Enforcement," applies to city departments, including the Los Angeles Police Department.

"This order reinforces the well-established principle that local governments have the authority to decide how to use their personnel and resources,'' Feldstein Soto said in a statement.

She said the ordinance is intended to ensure that crime victims and witnesses feel comfortable seeking assistance from police regardless of their immigration status.

"It does not obstruct or impede lawful federal immigration enforcement operations,'' Feldstein Soto said.

According to the city attorney's office, the court found that the federal government failed to plausibly show that the ordinance violates the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity. The court also rejected the government's preemption arguments, finding that the federal statutes cited did not support claims that the ordinance unlawfully restricts cooperation with immigration authorities.

The June 20 ruling also dismissed with prejudice claims against Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and the Los Angeles City Council, leaving the City of Los Angeles as the sole defendant in the case.

The lawsuit, filed by the federal government, challenged the city's long-standing policies limiting involvement in federal immigration enforcement matters.