Supreme Court dismisses Trump-era ‘sanctuary city’ cases

The Supreme Court on Thursday night dismissed three cases that arose during the Trump era over “sanctuary” policies that restrict local police from helping federal authorities enforce immigration laws.

The justices’ move came at the request of the Biden administration and a number of state and city governments that had been locked in a legal standoff with the Trump administration over its efforts to withhold federal funds in response to sanctuary laws.

The dismissals were hailed by Dennis Herrera, city attorney for San Francisco, one of the jurisdictions involved in the litigation.

“We’re glad this issue has finally been put to rest,” Herrera said. “Federal officials can do their job in San Francisco, just like anywhere else in the country.”

“San Francisco is not stopping them,” he continued. “But we were not about to let our police, firefighters and nurses be commandeered and turned into the Trump administration’s deportation force.”

As part of his hard-line immigration stance, former President Trump conditioned millions of dollars in federal law enforcement funds on jurisdictions cooperating with federal immigration authorities in handling noncitizens in the criminal justice system.

Biden revoked Trump’s policy during his first day in office.

The justices’ dismissal of the cases means the Supreme Court will not resolve a split in the lower federal courts over whether Trump’s fund-withholding policy was lawful.