The U.S. Department of Justice sued the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass and City Council members Monday, calling L.A.’s sanctuary city law “illegal” and asking that it be blocked from being enforced.
The lawsuit, filed in California’s Central District federal court by the Trump Administration, said the country is “facing a crisis of illegal immigration” and that its efforts to address it “are hindered by Sanctuary Cities such as the City of Los Angeles, which refuse to cooperate or share information, even when requested, with federal immigration authorities.”
Over the last month, immigration agents have descended on Southern California, arresting more than 1,600 immigrants and prompting furious protests in downtown Los Angeles, Paramount and other communities.
According to the lawsuit, L.A.’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities since June 6 has resulted in “lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism.”
The lawsuit comes weeks after protests over the administration’s deportation efforts exploded in Los Angeles. The protesters — along with Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — have become key targets for Trump and his allies.
The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to immigration, reallocating resources from other areas to immigration enforcement. One of Bondi’s first acts as attorney general was announcing a lawsuit against New York over its “sanctuary” policies.
In Los Angeles, Trump and Newsom squared off over the use of National Guard troops in the city in response to the protests.
