Trump slams judge's decision to block order

Judge William Orrick of San Francisco's federal district court on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction barring any attempt to implement Trump's January 25 executive order. "See you in the Supreme Court!"

In his ruling, Orrick, made reference to Trump calling the sanctuary cities order a "weapon" against communities that disagree with his immigration policies.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera, at podium, with his staff beside him, talks about a federal judge's order blocking any attempt by the Trump administration to withhold money from "sanctuary cities" during a news conference at City Hall Tuesday, April 25, 2017, in San Francisco.

"Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement can not be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the president disapproves", Orrick wrote in his decision to the lawsuit filed by the City and County of San Francisco and Santa Clara County, which argued that over $2 billion in federal funding was in question.

The administration suffered an earlier defeat when two federal judges suspended executive orders restricting travel from several Muslim-majority countries. "If the federal government believes there is a need to detain a serious criminal they can obtain a criminal warrant, which we will honor, as we always have", he said in a statement.

A judge blocked President Trump's anti-sanctuary city executive order Tuesday, accusing the White House of wrongly trying to threaten the cities and saying Congress, not the president, gets to decide what strings to attach to federal funds. On Tuesday, April 25, 2017, a federal judge blocked a Trump administration order to withhold funding from communities that limit cooperation with USA immigration authorities, saying the president has no authority to attach new conditions to federal spending.

The government hasn't cut off any money yet or declared any communities sanctuary cities.

But the Justice Department sent letters last week advising communities to prove they are in compliance with immigration law. California was informed it could lose $18.2 million.

Orrick said Trump can not set new conditions on spending approved by Congress.

Orrick's decision will block Trump's executive order for now, while the federal lawsuit makes its way through the courts.

In February, the Ninth Circuit ruled against the White House order to suspend immigration from seven mostly-Muslim countries as well as all refugees.

He also threatened to break up the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has blocked two of his previous immigration orders.

Trump has said a travel ban is needed to preserve national security and keep out extremists.

"First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban & now it hits again on sanctuary cities-both ridiculous rulings". They used to call this "judge shopping!"

Priebus says the ruling will eventually be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, because it's unreasonable that an agency couldn't put restrictions on how money is spent.

Meanwhile, Dennis Herrera, the city attorney for San Francisco, called the executive order an overreach by the Trump administration.

"Sanctuary cities" is a loosely defined term for jurisdictions that don't comply with immigration authorities.

The Trump administration says sanctuary cities allow unsafe criminals back on the street and that the order is needed to keep the country safe.

Kate Steinle was walking with her father in 2015 when Mexican native Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez picked up a loaded gun and fired it, killing her.

The LA mayor has repeatedly vowed that the city's police department would not serve "as a federal immigration force".

It was the second major legal blow to Trump's pledge to sharply tighten government immigration policy.

Texas doesn't now have any sanctuary cities.

Information for this article was contributed by Sudhin Thanawala, Sadie Gurman, Julie Bykowicz and Jim Vertuno of The Associated Press; and by Peter Baker of The New York Times.