Legal Victory for Los Angeles City Over Federal Immigration Lawsuit
Los Angeles City Attorney Heidi Feldstein Soto proclaimed a significant legal win for the city on Sunday, announcing that a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit initiated by President Donald Trump’s administration regarding the city’s sanctuary city ordinance.
This ruling reinforces a crucial principle that local governments retain the authority to determine how they manage their personnel and resources, according to Feldstein-Soto.
The order was issued by U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Holguin over the weekend. It rejected the federal government’s argument that the sanctuary city ordinance violates the intergovernmental immunity doctrine, thus allowing the ordinance to remain in effect. The ruling emphasized that the city’s policies do not explicitly override federal immigration law.
In December 2024, LA Mayor Karen Bass signed the “Prohibition of Use of City Resources for Federal Immigration Enforcement” ordinance, widely known as the “Sanctuary City” ordinance. This directive explicitly prohibits city officers and employees from collaborating with federal immigration authorities, including the investigation of individuals’ immigration statuses or granting access to city data for this purpose. The aim of the ordinance, as stated by Feldstein-Soto, is to encourage both crime victims and witnesses—regardless of their citizenship status—to seek assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department without the fear of immigration repercussions.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the city and its officials in June 2025, contesting the legality of the ordinance following widespread protests against the president’s mass deportation initiatives and the deployment of the federal National Guard to control these demonstrations.
In its complaint, the federal government alleged that the sanctuary ordinance violates the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity by “regulating and discriminating” against federal actions and contended that it was preempted by federal law.
Judge Holguin’s ruling highlighted that the federal government could not convincingly claim a breach of intergovernmental immunity because the ordinance only regulates city employees’ conduct, not federal actions. Additionally, he found the preemption argument unpersuasive, noting that while the ordinance restricts city officials from probing into individuals’ immigration statuses, it does not prevent those officials from cooperating with federal authorities or sharing information.
The federal government has until July 3, 2026, to submit an amended complaint addressing the ruling’s deficiencies. As of now, individual city officials, including Mayor Bass, have been preliminarily dismissed from the lawsuit, positioning the city itself as the sole defendant should the government decide to pursue the case further.
This lawsuit represents a broader effort by the Trump administration to challenge and limit sanctuary city policies in its immigration reform agenda. Similar cases have emerged in other cities, including Boston and Illinois, where the federal government has faced setbacks.
