The Trump administration cannot withhold federal grant money from San Francisco over its sanctuary city ordinances. That's the ruling a district court judge handed down in California on Friday.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced last year that local law enforcement would have to comply with federal immigration agencies to receive funding from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. Congress authorized the program in 2005, and it's the main source of federal justice funding for states and cities.
Because Congress authorized the grant, Judge William Orrick ruled, the Department of Justice's conditions violate the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution.
The judge's decision follows similar rulings in Chicago and Philadelphia — other cities with sanctuary policies.
"Sanctuary cities release thousands of criminal aliens out of our prisons and jails and back into our communities," President Donald Trump said in March.
The Trump administration has repeatedly argued sanctuary policies make cities more dangerous and undermine federal immigration enforcement.
