Judge largely rules for California in
'sanctuary state' fight
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[July 06, 2018]
By Tom Hals
(Reuters) - California's "sanctuary state"
laws largely survived a legal attack by the Trump administration on
Thursday after a federal judge declined to block state measures aimed at
thwarting cooperation with Washington's crackdown on illegal
immigration.
But the judge, John Mendez of U.S. District Court in Sacramento, also
rebuked lawmakers, saying that the immigration issue could not
ultimately be settled in the courts and said elected leaders needed to
put aside differences and forge legislation.
California Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed into law in October
measures that, among other things, prevent police from inquiring about
immigration status and curtailing law enforcement cooperation with
immigration officers.
The law extended to the entire state protections for illegal immigrants
that exist in several so-called sanctuary cities, including Los Angeles
and San Francisco.
On Thursday, Mendez largely sided with the state against the Trump
administration, which was seeking an injunction to prevent California
from enforcing the measures.
Mendez did, however, issue an injunction that bars California officials
from imposing fines of up to $10,000 on employers who grant immigration
officials access to a private workplace or to employment records.
U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Devin O'Malley called the ruling
blocking the fines a "major victory for private employers in California
who are no longer prevented from cooperating with legitimate enforcement
of our nation’s immigration laws."
The Department of Justice will continue to fight "unjust policies that
threaten public safety," O'Malley said in a statement.
The judge, in his 60-page ruling, said he hoped his order would “not be
viewed through a political lens” and said a long-term immigration
solution could not come from “piecemeal opinions issued by the judicial
branch.”
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Immigrant supporters protest during the Los Angeles City Council ad
hoc committee on immigration meeting to discuss the city's response
to threats by the Trump administration to cut funding from Los
Angeles and other jurisdictions which federal officials say are
providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants arrested for crimes, in
Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy
Nicholson
Mendez said he was joining “the ever-growing chorus" of judges
urging elected officials to set aside polarizing politics and work
in a cooperative fashion toward passing immigration legislation.
"Our nation deserves it," wrote the judge, who was appointed by
President George W. Bush. "Our Constitution demands it.”
The Justice Department had sued California in March, taking aim at
three laws that the administration said violated the U.S.
Constitution.
California, the country's most populous state, leads the nation in
its population of illegal immigrants, with more than 2.3 million
people lacking legal status, according to the Pew Research Center.
The Trump administration has been battling hundreds of cities and
other jurisdictions, many Democratic-governed, that have adopted
sanctuary policies.
Thursday's ruling follows a several legal setbacks for the
administration over sanctuary cities. In April, a federal appeals
court said the administration cannot deny public safety grants to
cities that limit cooperation with the Trump administration, in a
case brought by Chicago.
(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
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