00:00A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration cannot cut federal funding to dozens of cities and counties because
00:05of their local immigration policies.
00:08The case involved 34 jurisdictions with what are often called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local governments and federal
00:16immigration enforcement.
00:19Judge William Orrick, who had already protected several other cities in a previous ruling, extended his earlier order.
00:25This means the administration cannot withhold money or place immigration-related conditions on certain federal grants.
00:33The administration had argued that local governments should not be able to restrict cooperation with immigration authorities.
00:40However, the judge said the executive orders placed coercive threats on communities, which he found unconstitutional.
00:47Many cities and counties had raised concerns that billions of dollars in essential funding were at risk.
00:54Some communities also filed lawsuits, saying that the cuts would have harmed local programs not connected to immigration at all.
01:02The Department of Homeland Security had previously posted a list of jurisdictions it believed were not in compliance, but later
01:09removed the list after errors were found.
01:11For now, the court's decision ensures that federal funding for these cities and counties will remain in place while the
01:18legal process continues.
01:20This ruling is part of an ongoing national debate about the balance between local policies and federal immigration enforcement.
01:27Stay connected with RZ News for more updates.
