❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, alleging that its sanctuary policies interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Department of Justice (DOJ), Attorney General Pam Bondi, President Donald J. Trump, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was filed on Monday, June 30, 2025, following recent pro-illegal immigrant riots in Los Angeles targeting ICE operations.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
🎯IMPACT: The lawsuit seeks to block Los Angeles’s sanctuary policies, citing constitutional violations under the Supremacy Clause.
The Trump administration is suing the city of Los Angeles, alleging that its sanctuary policies obstruct federal immigration authorities from performing their duties. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, “Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) argues that Los Angeles’s policies intentionally discriminate against federal authorities, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), by treating them differently from other law enforcement agencies. The lawsuit claims that these policies violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits state and local jurisdictions from interfering with federal law.
“The Los Angeles Ordinance and other policies intentionally discriminate against the Federal Government by treating federal immigration authorities differently than other law enforcement agents through access restrictions both to property and to individual detainees,” the lawsuit reads. It further accuses the city of prohibiting contractors from cooperating with federal authorities and disfavoring federal criminal laws.
Los Angeles recently experienced violent demonstrations and riots in response to ICE operations in the region. Mayor Karen Bass criticized the presence of federal law enforcement, stating, “Last Thursday, ICE entered our city and provoked the city by chasing people through Home Depots and car washes and showing up at schools and, today, showing up at emergency rooms and homeless shelters.” Bass further claimed that the deployment of the National Guard was used as a pretext to escalate federal involvement.
Notably, the illegal aliens detained by ICE ahead of the riots included mass shooters and pedophiles. The DOJ is seeking a judicial order to block the enforcement of Los Angeles’s sanctuary policies.
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