Calif. Judge Rules Against Trump Administration Over 2 Sanctuary State Laws

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBSLA/AP) — A federal judge in Sacramento has rejected a request by the Trump administration to block two California laws that protect immigrants in the country illegally.

But Judge John Mendez put a third California sanctuary law, Assembly Bill 450, on hold in his ruling Thursday, according to the Sacramento Bee. Assembly Bill 450 prohibits private employers from voluntarily cooperating with federal immigration officials.

The Justice Department in early March sued the state of California as part of a broader effort to crackdown on sanctuary jurisdictions. The lawsuit argued that the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government pre-eminent power to regulate immigration, and California can't obstruct immigration enforcement efforts.

Mendez said during a hearing in June that he wasn't convinced California intended to interfere with federal immigration enforcement.

Last October, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 54, the sanctuary state legislation that extends protections for immigrants living in the United States illegally.

The bill took effect Jan. 1. Under Senate Bill 54, jail officials are only allowed to transfer inmates to federal immigration authorities if they have been convicted of certain crimes.

The Justice Department's lawsuit was against the state of California, Gov. Brown and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra. It alleged California's three sanctuary state laws (Senate Bill 54, Assembly Bill 450, Assembly Bill 103) interfere with federal immigration activities and "intentionally obstruct and discriminate" against the enforcement of federal immigration law.

Assembly Bill 103 imposes a state-run inspection and review of the federal detention of undocumented immigrants held in facilities pursuant to federal contracts.

Since March, 10 Orange County cities have come out in opposition to the sanctuary state laws. They include Westminster, Orange, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Fountain Valley, San Juan Capistrano and Yorba Linda.

In May, Santa Clarita became the first city in Los Angeles County to oppose it when its council voted unanimously to file a brief to opt out of the sanctuary state law.

Also that same month, the council for the Riverside County city of Beaumont approved a resolution that declares Senate Bill 54 incompatible with federal law and, therefore, illegitimate.

The cities have either opted out of the laws or are joining the federal government in suing California. Several cities have attached amicus briefs to the federal government's lawsuit.

Orange County supervisors have also voted to join the lawsuit.

Earlier this year, the O.C. Sheriff's Department, whose leadership opposes sanctuary state laws, announced it was now providing public information on when inmates are released from custody. An existing "Who's in Jail" online database includes the date and time of inmates' release, a move agency officials say will enhance communication with its law enforcement partners. The release date information applies to all inmates, not just those who are suspected of being in the country illegally. But OCSD made it clear the goal is to assist ICE agents.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)