Court: Trump Cutting Funding for Sanctuary Cities Unconstitutional

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled President Trump’s executive order restricting federal funding to sanctuary cities unconstitutional, Politico reports. The court ruled in a 2-1 decision that federal funding could only be curbed if the president had congressional approval. They also said the U.S. District Court that previously blocked the order nationwide “went too far,” and sent the decision back for “reconsideration and further findings.” In a statement, the Justice Department called the decision a “victory for criminal aliens in California.” Trump signed the executive order in January, targeting cities that declined to share information related to an individual’s immigration or citizenship status to the federal government. San Francisco and Santa Clara counties subsequently sued the Trump administration over the order, and both cities reportedly had over $1 billion in federal funding in jeopardy.