A judge has ruled that a law used by the Department of Justice to cut funding to sanctuary cities and states is unconstitutional, dealing a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to force California to cooperate with its immigration crackdown.

According the Associated Press, the judge in the case, William Orrick also ordered the administration to give California the $28 million it had previously withheld.

The AP also noted that Judge Orrick in his ruling on Friday agreed with California’s argument that being compelled to cooperate with U.S. immigration officials made it harder for local law enforcement to serve their communities was a compelling reason to strike down the law.

“California expresses the legitimate concern that entanglement with federal immigration enforcement erodes the trust that Latino and undocumented immigrant communities have in local law enforcement.”


California Attorney General Xavier Becerra echoed that sentiment in a statement that hailed the ruling. He said that “today’s ruling is a victory in our fight to protect the people of California,” while also vowing to continue fighting “the Trump administration’s attempts to force our law enforcement into changing its policies and practices in ways that would make us less safe.”

A win in our fight to protect Californians from attempts to force our law enforcement to change policies & practices https://t.co/mw7qeI1kU3 — Xavier Becerra (@AGBecerra) October 5, 2018

This practice was instituted by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the early months of the Trump presidency. States and cities that were targeted have fought back in court, where they’ve won victories over the administration. Judge Orrick’s new ruling against the Department of Justice is perhaps their biggest win yet.