President Donald Trump on Monday signed a sweeping new executive order aimed at cracking down on so-called “sanctuary” cities and states, escalating a long-running clash between federal immigration enforcement and local governments that offer protections to undocumented immigrants.
The order directs federal agencies to identify jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities and threatens them with cuts to federal funding. It also opens the door to civil or criminal penalties against local governments that maintain sanctuary policies.
Under the directive, the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security have 30 days to compile a list of all jurisdictions considered noncompliant. The administration says this effort is necessary to enforce existing immigration laws and ensure public safety.
Sanctuary Cities in the Crosshairs
Cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Denver — as well as states such as California, Oregon, and Washington — have long had sanctuary policies that restrict local law enforcement from cooperating fully with federal immigration agents. This includes limits on honoring detainer requests or sharing detainee information without a warrant.
Now, under the new executive order, these jurisdictions could face the loss of key federal funds. In addition, federal agencies have been instructed to ensure that residents of sanctuary areas are ineligible for federal public benefits. The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are being tasked with exploring all available legal actions to force compliance.
White House: It’s About “Law and Order”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the move, framing it as a matter of basic law enforcement. “Obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials,” Leavitt said. “The American people made that quite clear in the 2024 election.”
She added that the order was carefully crafted to withstand legal scrutiny after earlier court decisions struck down similar efforts by the Trump administration during his first term. “This time, we’re taking a more structured and legally sound approach,” she said.
Local Leaders Push Back
The response from city and state leaders was swift and defiant. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reaffirmed the city’s pro-immigrant stance, stating, “We stand with immigrants. Boston will not back down from protecting our communities.”
In Chicago, a spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson called the order “fundamentally unconstitutional,” arguing that it violates principles of federalism and local autonomy. New York City officials said they were reviewing the order but expressed concern about federal overreach and its impact on trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
A Shift in Strategy
Legal experts note that the new order is more precise than previous Trump-era policies that were struck down by the courts for being overly vague or coercive. By requiring federal agencies to publicly identify noncompliant jurisdictions and justify funding restrictions, the administration hopes to avoid similar judicial setbacks.
“This executive order appears to be a more legally cautious version of what we saw in 2017,” said Emily Sanchez, an immigration law professor at Georgetown University. “But it will still face major constitutional challenges, particularly around the Tenth Amendment and conditions on federal funds.”
Political Ramifications
The move reignites one of the most divisive issues in American politics: immigration. Republicans praised the order as a necessary measure to restore the rule of law and address what they call “lawless zones” that protect undocumented immigrants.
Democrats, civil rights groups, and immigrant advocates, however, slammed the action as punitive and likely to worsen relationships between immigrant communities and police.
“This is more about politics than public safety,” said José Alvarado, a spokesperson for the National Immigration Justice Center. “It’s an attack on local democracy and immigrant families.”
As the Trump administration moves into the early days of its second term, the order signals a renewed focus on hardline immigration policies — a cornerstone of Trump’s political identity. Whether the new strategy will survive legal scrutiny, or trigger another wave of resistance from cities and states, remains to be seen.
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