Hispanic Federation Statement on the U.S. District Court Ruling on “Sanctuary Cities”
April 26, 2017 (New York, NY) – Hispanic Federation has issued the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s ruling on “Sanctuary Cities.”
“Hispanic Federation joins with millions of Americans in celebrating the U.S. District Court’s preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from withholding federal funds from “sanctuary cities.” President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, as part of a comprehensive strategy of intimidation and threats, had warned cities that they risked federal funds if they refused to comply with the administration’s new, punitive executive orders on immigration. As Judge William Orrick III noted in his ruling, the administration’s executive orders would cause “an immediate and irreparable harm” to the plaintiffs. What’s more, we were pleased that Judge Orrick unmasked the White House’s attempts to dissemble the impact of the ruling by claiming that the executive orders were a simple restatement of the current law. The truth is that the Trump Administration was using the coercive power of the federal treasury to secure a political result it could not otherwise achieve.
The ruling is yet another necessary repudiation of the Trump Administration’s cruel policies targeting immigrants and their families. In case after case, the federal courts have been a bulwark against the administration’s attempts to rewrite American immigration law and Hispanic Federation is thankful for their courage and conviction. Cities throughout the United States have adopted “sanctuary” type policies in an effort to provide relief from some of our most punitive immigration enforcement policies. They do so because Congress and the White House have failed to do their jobs. Rather than attacking sanctuary cities, the Trump administration needs to be heeding their message that we build stronger communities and a stronger nation when we keep families together, apply our laws justly and help integrate hardworking immigrants into our society.”
