California’s major cities are suing the state, arguing that sanctuary laws violate the constitution and prevent local authorities from protecting their communities.

City of Huntington Beach applies lawsuit The bill significantly limits how local and state law enforcement agencies can cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit alleges that the policy not only violates the Constitution, but also directs city officials to violate federal immigration law. (Related: Sanctuary State family immigrant shelters reportedly rife with rape, assault, and other crimes)

“We are fighting the sanctuary state law because it prevents us from fully enforcing the law and keeping our community safe,” Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns said in a public statement. “Right now, when the stakes are so high, with increased human trafficking, more foreign gangs taking over American apartments, and more murders, rapes, and other violent crimes against our citizens, we will use our resources to fight. We need every resource we can get, including federal resources.”

“Huntington Beach will not sit back and tolerate obstructionist sanctuary state laws that put our 200,000 residents at risk of harm from those seeking to commit violent crimes on American soil,” Burns continued. Ta.

The California Values ​​Act was signed into law by then-Governor of California. It went into effect the following year after Jerry Brown took office in 2017, and has been controversial ever since. The law — at the time was considered to be act of resistance The policy, by California Democrats opposed to President Donald Trump’s first administration, placed limits on state and local law enforcement’s ability to help deportation officers crack down on immigration violations.

“As a matter of law, the state’s ‘sanctuary state law’ is unconstitutional and violates other federal laws. As a matter of enforcement policy, this is a clear and present threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the City of Huntington Beach.” is dangerous,” reads part of the city’s lawsuit, which identifies crimes that have been on the rise in the state since 2018. , the year the statewide sanctuary law went into effect.

This is not the first time California has been sued over the law. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the state in 2018, arguing that the sanctuary law violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which invalidates state laws that conflict with federal law. However, the challenge ultimately struck down In court.

“The Attorney General is committed to protecting and ensuring the rights of California’s immigrant communities and upholding important laws like SB 54,” said Rob Bonta, a spokesman for the California Attorney General. said.OC’s voice. “Our office successfully fought back against challenges to SB 54 by the first Trump administration, and we stand ready to vigorously defend SB 54 again.”

The California Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Brown, who is now retired from public office, defended SB54 in a sit-down interview in December, noting that it provides many exceptions for violent criminals. But the former governor has also distanced himself from many sanctuary cities in the state since signing the statewide bill, suggesting his anti-ICE policies have gone too far.

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