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 officials 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.

The coalition includes:

Luis Alejo, Monterey County Supervisor, Monterey County Board of Supervisors
Burhan Azeem, Cambridge City Councillor, Cambridge City Council
Nikki Fortunato Bas, Supervisor, Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Daniel Biss, Mayor of Evanston, City of Evanston Mayor's Office
Xouhoa Bowen, Vice Mayor, San Leandro City Council
Erica Briggs, City Councilmember, Ann Arbor City Council
Melvin Carter, Mayor of the City of Saint Paul, City of Saint Paul Mayor's Office
Michael Chameides, Supervisor, Columbia County Supervisor's Office
David Chiu, San Francisco City Attorney, San Francisco, California
John Clark, Mayor, Town of Ridgway, Colorado
Kara Davis, District Attorney, Wasco County District Attorney's Office
Becky Corran, City Councilmember, Las Cruces City Council
Olgy Diaz, City Councilmember, Tacoma City Council, Washington
Jilline Dobratz, City Clerk, West Bend City Clerk's Office
Jack Eckblad, Milwaukee County Supervisor, District 4, Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
Justin Elicker, Mayor, City of New Haven, City of New Haven Mayor's Office
Heather Ferbert, San Diego City Attorney, San Diego, California
Jacob Frey, Mayor, City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, City of Minneapolis Mayor's Office
Bubba Fish, Councilmember, Culver City, California
Brenda Gadd, Councilmember, Nashville and Davidson County Council
Adrian Garcia, Precinct 2 Commissioner, Harris County, Texas
Heidi Garrido, Councilmember, Hopkins City Council
Beau Harbin, County Legislator, Cortland County
Bruce Harrell, Mayor, City of Seattle
Krissie Harris, Councilmember, 2nd Ward, Evanston City Council
Jani Hitchen, Councilmember, Pierce County Council
Susan Hughes-Smith, Monroe County Legislator, Monroe County Legislature's Office
Nick Komives, Councilmember, Toledo City Council, Ohio
Otto Lee, Board President, County of Santa Clara, California
Jessie Lopez, Councilwoman, Santa Ana City Council
Signe Lindell, City Councilor, Santa Fe City Council, New Mexico
Neil Makhija, Commissioner, Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, Pennsylvania
Elisa Marquez, Alameda County Board of Supervisors, Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Marc McGovern, Vice-Mayor, City of Cambridge, MA Mayor's Office
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, City Councilmember, Culver City Council
Steve Mulroy, Shelby County District Attorney, Tennessee
Patricia Nolan, City Councillor, Cambridge Massachusetts, Cambridge City Council
Jonathan Nieuwsma, Councilmember, Evanston City Council
Dontae Payne, Mayor, City of Olympia, Washington
Veronica Pillar, County Legislator, Tompkins County Legislators' Office
Delishia Porterfield, Councilmember At Large, Nashville and Davidson County Council
Jacqueline Porter, City Commissioner, Tallahassee, Florida
Santiago Rosas, Alderperson, City of Sun Prairie
Sumbul Siddiqui, City Councillor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Gina-Louise Sciarra, Mayor, City of Northampton, Massachusetts
E. Denise Simmons, Mayor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Seema Singh, Councilmember, Knoxville City Council, Tennessee
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, City Councillor, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Lena Tam, Alameda County Supervisor District 3, Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Mai Vang, City Councilmember, Sacramento City Council
Terry Vo, District 17 Metro Councilmember, Nashville and Davidson County Council
Braxton White, Commissioner, Clarion County, Clarion County Commissioners Office
Ayesha M. Wilson, City Councillor, Cambridge City Council
Robin Wilt, Councilmember, Brighton Town Council/Board
Jamila Winder, Commissioner, Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, Pennsylvania
Keith Wilson, Mayor of Portland, Oregon

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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.