Justice Department Loses Control over Local Police for Immigration Policies

Is the Justice Department overstepping its authority by requiring local governments to comply with requests of immigration agents?

United States District Judge Manuel Real issued an injunction against the current rules regarding federal funding, setting the rule that the Justice Department can no longer require local police departments to help immigration agents to receive deal funding. This ruling is the result of a battle that has been vehemently fought by local governments since the Trump administration and gives local governments initiatives to control their legislation on immigration and enforcement efforts.

Mike Feuer, the Los Angeles City attorney, commented on the significance of this ruling: “This is yet another dagger in the heart of the administration’s efforts to use federal funds as a weapon to make local jurisdictions complicit in its civil immigration enforcement policies.”

This ruling came after a series of several lawsuits, a long struggle that the California state has been fighting and pushing against the federal government regarding its reluctance to comply with the administration and refuse to enforce immigration legislation.

California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, commented that “the Trump administration cannot manipulate federal grant fund requirements to pressure states, counties or municipalities to enforce federal immigration laws.”

This ruling also came after a preliminary injunction last month against the federal government, on the ground that different parts of the country have been on different agendas and pages regarding the issue of immigration.

In response to the ruling, the Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against California, arguing that its “sanctuary state” laws are illegal as they prevent the enforcement and execution of police forces and limit the transparency of information about the release of county jail inmates. This case is scheduled for late June and will put California state on trial.

The frustration of the administration is not surprising as California has long accepted generous fundings from the federal program of Community Oriented Policing Services, and the funds were supposed to go towards funding Community Safety Partnership. This initiative is meant to allow access into inner-city neighborhoods to the local police force and therefore stabilize the rate of crime in the area.

In 2016, the city used about $3 million dollars to hire 25 police officers to reduce rates of violent crimes and this request was extended last year. However, it reluctantly began to arise when the local departments began to be required to alert immigration agents when releasing inmates and give these agencies access to inmate files.

Los Angeles Police Department pushed against this newly implemented requirement, and in return received no funding. The city, therefore, filed its case based on the coercion of local governments into becoming a puppet of immigration agents for the federal government. This sentiment is reciprocated by several other cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago. Their argument was similarly that the federal government is overstepping and abusing its power by coercing state and local governments to compile to their wishes.

The requirement of forcing state and local government to partake in the efforts of immigration agents and their enforcement is trespassing a line that many states are not willing to cross, putting into question whether the Trump administration has gone too far in its immigration efforts and reforms.