What happened
The Trump administration sued Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the LA City Council Monday over the city's sanctuary law, which prevents local law enforcement from using city resources to aid federal immigration actions.
Who said what
The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department in California's Central District federal court, alleges that LA's sanctuary city law is unconstitutional and discriminatory in "treating federal immigration authorities differently than other law enforcement agents." Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, told the Los Angeles Times the lawsuit likely conflicts with the 10th Amendment by trying to force the city to use its resources on immigration enforcement.
City officials have accused President Donald Trump of "inflaming tensions" by sending the National Guard and Marines into the area to aid in unpopular ICE raids, "exacerbating a situation local authorities had under control," said Reuters. The lawsuit is part of Trump's "wider effort" to "crack down" on sanctuary cities, whose policies "have become an obstacle" to his deportation goals, said The Wall Street Journal.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Los Angeles city officials are "weighing their own lawsuit" against the White House that would bar federal immigration agents from "violating the constitutional rights of their constituents," said the Times. The city council will meet today to discuss that suit.
-
Political cartoons for November 8Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include narco boats, and the new Lincoln monument
-
Why Trump pardoned crypto criminal Changpeng ZhaoIn the Spotlight Binance founder’s tactical pardon shows recklessness is rewarded by the Trump White House
-
Codeword: November 8, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Gregory Bovino: the officer leading Trump’s strong-arm immigration tacticsIn the Spotlight He has been referred to as the Border Patrol’s ‘commander-at-large’
-
‘This is where adaptation enters’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump ordered to fully fund SNAPSpeed Read The Justice Department is appealing the decision
-
Judge issues injunction on DHS use of forceSpeed Read Agents can only use force under the ‘immediate threat of physical harm’
-
Trump tariffs face stiff scrutiny at Supreme CourtSpeed Read Even some of the Court’s conservative justices appeared skeptical
-
The longest US government shutdown in historyThe Explainer Federal employees and low-income households have been particularly affected by ‘partisan standoffs’ in Washington
-
Democrats seek 2026 inspiration from special election routsIN THE SPOTLIGHT High-profile wins are helping a party demoralized by Trump’s reelection regain momentum
-
‘Not all news is bad’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
