Leaders from cities and counties across the country stand up for sanctuary policies and oppose the Trump administration’s illegal attempts to coerce enforcement of federal immigration law through funding cuts.
OAKLAND, CA (May 29, 2025) — In response to the Trump administration releasing a list of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions to target further, 56 local governments and a nonpartisan nonprofit called Public Rights Project (PRP) issued the following statement today. Sixteen local governments in the coalition, in partnership with PRP, have already won a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the administration’s ongoing attacks on communities with sanctuary policies.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit led by San Francisco and Santa Clara County, with 14 other jurisdictions and Public Rights Project. The case is City and County of San Francisco, et al., v. Donald J. Trump, et al., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Case No. 25-cv-01350.
Coalition statement
Sanctuary policies are legal and make us all safer. These laws limit using local resources — such as public employees’ time, money, and facilities — to assist with federal civil immigration enforcement. When local law enforcement isn’t viewed as an extension of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), research shows neighborhoods are safer. People are more likely to report crimes, cooperate with investigations, and come forward as witnesses. Sanctuary policies also enhance economic stability and public health by ensuring that all residents feel welcome and can fully contribute to civil society. Our jurisdictions prioritize the safety and well-being of all residents and ensure that our limited resources are used to support local community members.
These executive orders and other administrative actions are fear tactics. To be clear, the Trump administration is once again asserting power it doesn’t have. This time, it’s to coerce compliance with its federal immigration agenda. What’s happening is a blatantly illegal attempt to sidestep Congress and bully local governments into doing ICE’s job by threatening to cut off billions in federal funding. This funding is taxpayer money meant to serve local communities, not be held for ransom. Millions of people rely on these dollars for critical services and programs like roads and public transit, homelessness prevention, gang violence prevention, disaster relief, health care, opioid treatment, victim services and emergency response.
We have won this fight before — and we will win again. The administration’s actions and threats defy the Constitution and decades of legal precedent. The courts rejected this playbook in 2017, and the law hasn’t changed. More recently, on April 24, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the executive order, preserving funding for now. The judge agreed that the communities faced immediate harm and are likely to prevail, as the administration’s orders are just as unconstitutional today as they were eight years ago.
We stand united as a coalition and call on our fellow local leaders to join us.
Our coalition includes:
Brenda Adams, Supervisor, Canaan, New York
Luis Alejo, Supervisor (District 1), Monterey County, California
Soli Alpert, Chair, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, Berkeley, California
Burhan Azeem, City Councilor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nikki Fortunato Bas, Supervisor (District 5), Alameda County, California
Valarie Bachelor, School Board Director, Oakland, California
Rachel Barnhart, Legislator, Monroe County, New York
Daniel Biss, Mayor, Evanston, Illinois
Xouhoa Bowen, Vice Mayor, San Leandro, California
Erica Briggs, Councilmember (Ward 5), Ann Arbor, Michigan
Chelsea Byers, Mayor, West Hollywood, California
Melvin Carter, Mayor, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Michael Chameides, Supervisor (Ward 3), Columbia County, New York
David Chiu, City Attorney, San Francisco, California
Aurin Chowdhury, Councilmember (Ward 12), Minneapolis, Minnesota
John Clark, Mayor, Ridgway, Colorado
Alison Coombs, Councilmember (at-large), Aurora, Colorado
Christine Corrado, Councilmember, Brighton, New York
Kara Davis, District Attorney, Wasco County, Oregon
Becky Corran, Councilmember, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Kara Davis, District Attorney, Wasco County, Oregon
Olgy Diaz, Councilmember (at-large), Tacoma, Washington
Jilline Dobratz, City Clerk, West Bend, Wisconsin
Jack Eckblad, Supervisor (District 4), Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Justin Elicker, Mayor, New Haven, Connecticut
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Mayor, Alameda, California
Heather Ferbert, City Attorney, San Diego, California
Jacob Frey, Mayor, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Bubba Fish, Councilmember, Culver City, California
Nikki Fortunato Bas, Supervisor (District 5), Alameda County, California
Brenda Gadd, Councilmember, Nashville and Davidson County
Ed Gainey, Mayor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Adrian Garcia, Commissioner (Precinct 2), Harris County, Texas
Heidi Garrido, Councilmember, Hopkins, Minnesota
Iris Guzman, Deputy Mayor, SeaTac, Washington
Beau Harbin, Legislator (District 2), Cortland County, New York
Bruce Harrell, Mayor, Seattle, Washington
Krissie Harris, Councilmember (2nd Ward), Evanston, Illinois
Jani Hitchen, Councilmember (District 6), Pierce County, Washington
Susan Hughes-Smith, Legislator, Monroe County, New York
Christopher Jaramillo, School Board President, Montgomery, Pennsylvania
Nick Komives, Councilmember (at-large), Toledo, Ohio
Otto Lee, Supervisor (District 3), County of Santa Clara, California
Jessie Lopez, Councilmember (Ward 3), Santa Ana, California
Signe Lindell, City Councilor (District 1), Santa Fe, New Mexico
Neil Makhija, Commissioner, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Robert Magee, Corporation Counsel, Albany, New York
Alexander Marion, City Auditor, Syracuse, New York
Elisa Marquez, Supervisor (District 2), Alameda County, California
Marc McGovern, Vice-Mayor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Councilmember (District 2), San Antonio, Texas
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Councilmember, Culver City, California
Joe Mellis, Deputy County Counsel, Los Angeles County, California
Steve Mulroy, District Attorney, Shelby County, Tennessee
Linda Mussmann, Supervisor (4th Ward), Hudson, New York
Patricia Nolan, City Councilor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jonathan Nieuwsma, Councilmember (4th Ward), Evanston, Illinois
Linea Palmisano, Councilmember (13th Ward), Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sean Parker, Councilmember (District 5), Nashville, Tennessee
Dontae Payne, Mayor, Olympia, Washington
Isabel Piedmont-Smith, City Councilor, Bloomington, Illinois
Veronica Pillar, Legislator, Tompkins County, New York
Delishia Porterfield, Councilmember (at-large), Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
Jacqueline Porter, City Commissioner, Tallahassee, Florida
Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez, Alderperson (33rd Ward), Chicago, Illinois
Santiago Rosas, Alderperson (District 2), Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
Brandon M. Scott, Mayor, Baltimore, Maryland
Sumbul Siddiqui, City Councilor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Gina-Louise Sciarra, Mayor, Northampton, Massachusetts
E. Denise Simmons, Mayor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Seema Singh, Councilmember, Knoxville, Tennessee
Maraskeshia Smith, City Manager, Santa Rosa, California
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, City Councilor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Lena Tam, Supervisor (District 3), Alameda County, California
Caroline Torosis, Mayor Pro Tempore, Santa Monica, California
Mai Vang, Councilmember (District 8), Sacramento, California
Terry Vo, Metro Councilmember (District 17), Nashville and Davidson Counties, Tennessee
Ginny Welsch, Councilmember (District 16), Nashville and Davidson Counties, Tennessee
Braxton White, Commissioner, Clarion County, Pennsylvania
Ayesha M. Wilson, City Councilor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Keith Wilson, Mayor, Portland, Oregon
Sue Wilson, Councilmember, Richmond, California
Robin Wilt, Councilmember, Brighton, New York
Jamila Winder, Commissioner, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Robin Wonsley, Councilmember (Ward 2), Minneapolis, Minnesota
Natalya Zernitskaya, Councilmember, Santa Monica, California
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About Public Rights Project
As a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, Public Rights Project helps local government officials fight for civil rights. We do this by building their capacity to protect and advance civil rights, convening and connecting them on issues of civil rights, and providing legal representation to governments to help them win in court on behalf of their residents. Since our founding, we’ve built a network of over 1,300 partners, including elected officials and 227 government offices across all 50 states, and helped recover over $46 million in relief for marginalized people.
