The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, escalating its legal campaign against sanctuary policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday, challenges city measures that restrict the use of local resources to assist with immigration operations or to collect information about residents’ citizenship status.
In a statement posted on social media, senior Justice Department official Chad Mizelle defended the move, saying, “We will keep enforcing federal immigration law in Los Angeles, whether or not the city’s government or residents agree with it. And we will not tolerate any interference with the federal government’s duty to enforce the law.”
The lawsuit follows weeks of tension in the city, where protests erupted after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted workplace raids in areas with high immigrant populations. Demonstrations were largely contained but saw isolated incidents of looting, vandalism and clashes with law enforcement. In response, President Trump deployed California National Guard troops to Los Angeles, prompting sharp criticism from state and local officials who argued the move inflamed unrest rather than contained it.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, filed a separate lawsuit challenging the federal deployment of the National Guard. While the legal challenge is ongoing, a federal appeals court has temporarily allowed Trump to retain command over the troops stationed in the state.
The Justice Department’s complaint accuses Los Angeles of enacting sanctuary policies in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which grants federal law primacy over state or local regulations. The suit seeks a court order striking down those measures, arguing they directly obstruct federal immigration enforcement and have fuelled confrontations between activists and federal agents.
The case is the latest in a string of federal actions aimed at states and cities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. Similar lawsuits are already underway in New York, Illinois and Colorado, all of which have adopted sanctuary policies the Trump administration claims impede its efforts to deport undocumented individuals. The Justice Department has also signalled intentions to pursue criminal investigations of local officials who refuse to comply with federal directives and has attempted to withhold federal grant funding from non-cooperative jurisdictions.
Supporters of sanctuary policies, including many Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups, argue that such measures are essential for maintaining trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. They say cooperation with federal immigration agents can deter victims and witnesses from coming forward, thereby undermining public safety.
In addition to the immigration dispute, the Justice Department is currently probing other California laws, including legislation permitting transgender girls to compete in school sports and hiring practices within the University of California system. Governor Newsom has also launched a defamation suit against Fox News over its coverage of a call with Trump related to the Los Angeles protests.
As legal and political battles between California and the Trump administration intensify, the latest lawsuit signals an ongoing confrontation over immigration, states’ rights and federal authority.
