Obama Judge Shields Sanctuary Cities From Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Efforts [WATCH]

A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot cut funding to 34 cities and counties in response to sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick, who previously issued an order protecting more than a dozen other jurisdictions, extended a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from pulling federal money or attaching immigration-related conditions to its use.

1/ Judge William Orrick isn’t just any Obama appointee. He’s donated a STAGGERING $113,600 to Democratic candidates and committees.

But wait, it gets worse… pic.twitter.com/RPlV8zImR1

— Rod D. Martin (@RodDMartin) April 25, 2025

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The ruling also barred the administration from placing new immigration requirements on two federal grant programs.

Orrick stated that the administration’s only opposition to expanding the injunction was the claim that the first injunction was incorrect, which is currently under appeal.

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The ruling is the latest development in a series of legal battles between the Trump administration and cities that have adopted sanctuary policies.

President Donald Trump has pressed for increased enforcement of immigration laws under his broader deportation initiatives.

Trump issued an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withhold federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions.

The order also instructed federal agencies to ensure that payments to state and local governments do not “abet so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation,” according to the Associated Press.

Several cities and counties filed lawsuits against the federal government, arguing that billions of dollars in funding were at risk.

The Justice Department separately filed suits against multiple jurisdictions, including New York and Los Angeles, over their sanctuary policies.

In his ruling, Orrick concluded that Trump’s orders and subsequent executive actions created a “coercive threat” to local governments that he deemed unconstitutional.

Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security released a list identifying more than 500 sanctuary jurisdictions that it determined to be noncompliant with the administration’s directives.

The department stated that each jurisdiction would receive formal notification and could face additional review if found to be potentially violating federal criminal statutes.

The court’s decision underscores the continuing conflict between federal immigration enforcement and local jurisdictions that adopt sanctuary policies.

Legal challenges are ongoing, and the Trump administration’s appeal of Orrick’s earlier ruling remains pending.

The injunction means that the 34 cities and counties named in the case will continue receiving federal funding without immigration-related conditions attached, at least while the case proceeds through the courts.