California county sides with Trump against state in lawsuit over sanctuary cities

California’s Orange County voted on Tuesday to join the Trump administration lawsuit against the state for its laws enshrining so-called sanctuary cities.  

The county’s Board of Supervisors, made up of all Republicans, voted by 3-0 to join the Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against the policies protecting immigrants who live in U.S. illegally, The Associated Press reports. 

Orange County now joins a coalition of 18 Republican-led states and the governors of two others in taking action alongside DOJ against California for laws it says are preempted by the Constitution and violate federal immigration law. 

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The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Sacramento earlier this month, seeks to nullify three state laws signed in the past year that put the detention of federal immigration criminals into state hands and prevent private businesses and local police from collaborating with federal immigration authorities. 

The county-wide decision also followed a vote by the city of Los Alamitos last week not to abide by the state law that forbids local police from voluntarily giving information on detained immigrants. 

California has clashed with the federal government over the issue, warning communities of incoming immigration raids prompted as part of the Trump administration’s push to crack down on illegal immigration.