The Trump administration sued Los Angeles on Monday in an effort to shut down its sanctuary city law, arguing that federal enforcement of immigration laws is being obstructed. The lawsuit, which also names Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council, argues that the policy that generally prohibits cooperation with federal immigration authorities has brought "lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism," the Los Angeles Times reports. That's why President Trump sent in the National Guard and Marines earlier this month, according to the filing.
Bass did not immediately comment about the suit, but she said this month that "to characterize what is going on in our city as a city of mayhem is just an outright lie."
Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles protested federal immigration raids and Trump's deployment. Police arrested more than 100 people on charges including throwing rocks at federal officers and setting fire to Waymo cars during the demonstrations, per the AP. The sanctuary city law was proposed in early 2023 and finalized shortly after Trump's election in November.
The Justice Department suit says that Trump campaigned and was elected on a promise to deport "millions of illegal immigrants," so the sanctuary city law is an attempt to
"thwart the will of the American people." Los Angeles officials are considering a suit of their own. The City Council plans to ask the city attorney on Tuesday to take "immediate legal action" to protect Los Angeles residents from being racially profiled or unlawfully searched or detained, per the Times. The Trump administration has sued other sanctuary cities, including Chicago.
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