The City of Sacramento joined 15 other municipal jurisdictions as plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s actions that violate the Constitution by taking harmful actions against sanctuary city jurisdictions.
On the same day he was inaugurated, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withhold all federal funds from jurisdictions that refuse to use scarce local resources to carry out federal immigration actions.
Like Sacramento, each jurisdiction that has joined this lawsuit has made the lawful decision to limit the use of their local resources to assist with federal civil immigration enforcement.
“For forty years, our city has been a safe haven for refugees fleeing hardship and persecution,” said Mayor Kevin McCarty. “It is the moral tradition of our nation and our city to protect immigrants and refugees. Sacramento will uphold this legacy.”
Sacramento is recognized as one of the nation’s most integrated and diverse cities. The City prioritizes community trust, inclusion and cooperation of all residents, including its immigration population, in the delivery of government services as well as its use of law authority.
“Since 1985, Sacramento has been a self-designated sanctuary city, and I’m proud those same values of compassion, respect, and human dignity are reflected today, 40 years later,” said Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra. “Our City’s history is built on immigrants and refugees, who are seamlessly intertwined within our community. We will continue to support our workers, prioritizing a strong local economy, and respecting all our neighbors. Sacramento will not turn its back; we will continue protecting our community.”
In 2017, the Sacramento City Council passed a resolution reaffirming the City’s status as a sanctuary city, directing and preventing Sacramento officials from expending scarce local resources on federal civil immigration enforcement efforts to the detriment of Sacramento’s core mission of ensuring public health, safety, and welfare for all those that live, work, and visit Sacramento.
“It is my highest duty as the City Attorney of Sacramento to protect and defend the City from infringement of local power and authority,” said City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood. “The authority to make decisions on how to utilize local resources rests with the Sacramento City Council. The Council’s ability to meet the community’s needs and expectations will be significantly impacted should the threatened enforcement action and withdrawal of committed federal funding sources come to pass as the current administration has outlined. We cannot stand by and allow that to happen without doing all that we can to stop it. For that reason, I requested authority from the City Council to join other cities in joining this litigation to protect Sacramento’s resources and preserve the City Council’s ability to act.”
The Trump Administration’s threat of withholding federal funds impacts the City’s budget at a time when it is already working on balancing major deficits. The City is already receiving notice that these federal grants are likely to be withheld.
The Sacramento Police Department has more than $1.6 million in DOJ grant programs that are used for hiring police officers, and funding the acoustic gunfire detection system, the Digital Forensics Unit and improving crime mapping.
Sacramento currently is expecting approximately $175 million in outstanding federal reimbursements that support Public Works, public safety, and medical services.
