California, New Jersey and Washington State Sued for Protecting Immigrants

California, New Jersey and Washington state are being sued by the Justice Department for not following national immigration policies. New Jersey is the first state that is being sued by the federal government on sanctuary policies, with California and Washington’s counties are being sued. 

Attorney General William Barr announced the lawsuits Monday after President Trump spoke against sanctuary cities in Washington D.C. and brought a man who’s brother was killed by an undocumented immigrant.

President @realDonaldTrump just mentioned Jody Jones at #SOTU.

President Trump is fighting to end the deadly sanctuary cities that enable dangerous illegal immigrants to harm Americans just like Jody's brother, Rocky. pic.twitter.com/157vBPfWYU

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) February 5, 2020

Source: Trump War Room

Barr stated that illegal immigrants who have been arrested by local officers for crime are being targeted here. He said that illegal immigrants who lived peacefully would not be focused on.

This is a contrast to President Trump’s State of the Union address where he criticized New York’s Sanctuary Policies, namely in the Global Entry travel program. This program has been announced to be suspended by Trump’s administration which has caused New York’s attorney general to sue the move.

In Washington’s King County, the government is suing the policy that is preventing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) from using the county airport for deporting people. ICE has had to use an airport in Yakima, two hours away. Seattle, one of the cities in King County, in 2017 sued the federal government over its sanctuary cities executive order. In the order it stated that if local governments don’t comply with this order, local governments will not receive federal grants. Last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Justice Department is allowed to have preferential treatment- choosing which cities and states that cooperate with the sanctuary guidelines receive grant money.

California’s governor Gavin Newsom and state attorney general Xavier Becerra are being sued for state laws that prevent ICE agents from having detention facilities. California has been sued three times in 2018 over the charge that the state was making it difficult for criminals to be deported.

New Jersey’s governor Phil Murphy and state attorney general Gurbir Grewal are being sued for an enforcement directive that prohibits state officials from sharing someone’s immigration status to ICE.  The federal government issued a statement of support for two New Jersey counties against the directive. The Immigrant Trust Directive was announced and implemented in 2018, made to limit any aid between state law enforcement and ICE, and was edited that prevented local law enforcement from acting as immigration officials.

It's no surprise that the President, facing re-election, has suddenly decided to challenge the Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy we announced in 2018.

What's disappointing is that my former colleagues at the Justice Dept have agreed to go along with this election year stunt.

— AG Gurbir Grewal (@NewJerseyOAG) February 10, 2020

Source: AG Gurbir Grewal

Barr said that these local and state governments are going against the Constitution, which gives the federal government the final say and most power. Others claim that these lawsuits are just a way to bring awareness to President Trump’s campaign for re-election and his stance on immigration.

Picture Source: Pexels