California’s immigration sanctuary law, SB 54, is now the target of a lawsuit filed by Huntington Beach.
The filing was announced by Surf City leaders Tuesday. The rationale: they say it is an unconstitutional statute that violates the Supremacy Clause and damages public safety by prohibiting police from working with federal immigration officials.
The city, its city council, the police department, and the police chief are all named as plaintiffs.
As California City News has reported, the newly-elected council is made up entirely of Republicans who support Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, the council is closely aligned with Trump’s views on illegal immigration and sanctuary policies.
The incoming Trump administration has vowed to fight sanctuary policies that limit state and local cooperation with immigration enforcement. Recently, hundreds of elected officials — including some in California — received letters from the conservative organization America First Legal threatening them with civil and/or criminal action.
“Harboring of illegal aliens is a crime, and the sanctuary state law literally directs local officials to engage in violations of federal immigration law,” said Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates.
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