BOSTON — A federal judge ruled late Friday night that the Trump administration cannot cut off funding to 34 cities and counties, including Boston, due to “sanctuary” policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration efforts.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick extended a preliminary injunction that prevents the federal government from withholding funds from sanctuary jurisdictions, which are cities and counties with policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has defended the city’s sanctuary policies, asserting they do not hinder immigration enforcement.
The ruling by Judge Orrick follows similar decisions affecting more than a dozen other cities, ensuring they continue to receive federal dollars despite their sanctuary status.
This decision comes in the wake of comments from ICE Director Todd Lyons, who indicated that Massachusetts might see an increased presence of ICE agents following Mayor Wu’s defense of Boston’s policies.
The Department of Justice had previously set a deadline for a compliance plan, prompting Mayor Wu’s response in support of the city’s existing policies.
“Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration’s failures,” Mayor Wu said earlier this week. “We will not back away from our community that has made us the safest major city in the country and a leading example of why cities around the country make this country safer, healthier, and more prosperous for all Americans.”
The Trump administration has ratcheted up pressure on sanctuary communities as it seeks to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to remove millions of people in the country illegally.
One executive order issued by Trump directs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withhold federal money from sanctuary jurisdictions.
Another order directs every federal agency to ensure that payments to state and local governments do not “abet so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.”
Orrick said the executive orders and the “executive actions that have parroted them” were an unconstitutional “coercive threat.”
“I definitely agree with the ruling and the constitutionally of it,” Zachary Restuccia, an immigration attorney at Freedom Law LLC, told Boston 25 News.
“From my research, these fundings and grants are really going to be attacking the most vulnerable, so welfare, health, and people who really do need these resources to survive,” Restuccia continued.
Boston 25 News has reached out to Mayor Wu’s office for comment on the judge’s ruling and is waiting to hear back.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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