SAN DIEGO (CNS) — San Diego has joined a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's threats to withhold federal grant funding from jurisdictions that won't cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
The lawsuit originally filed in Northern California last month by a coalition of cities and counties was amended last week to add several new plaintiffs, including San Diego.
The complaint alleges that withholding these funds is unconstitutional and that during President Donald Trump's first term, federal courts ruled against his administration on the same issue of enforcement actions against so- called "sanctuary jurisdictions."
Along with threats of withholding funds, the Trump administration has sued cities that it claims have obstructed federal authorities from carrying out immigration enforcement actions.
Like the other plaintiffs, San Diego does not describe itself as a sanctuary city, but rather a "welcoming city" that does not "place any obstacles on federal officials seeking to enforce federal immigration law within its boundaries," according to the complaint.
The San Diego City Attorney's Office said in a statement that the city receives U.S. Department of Justice grant funding for law enforcement and public safety initiatives, which are at risk. Losing those funds would also "cause significant harm to San Diego residents" because the city is in the midst of a budget deficit, the City Attorney's Office said.
"This is about protecting and preserving the vital services that San Diegans rely on every day," City Attorney Heather Ferbert said in a statement. "By joining this lawsuit alongside 15 other local jurisdictions, we're making it clear to the administration that we won't back down in the face of their threats and we will defend our residents while upholding the state and federal laws that protect them."
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