Another federal judge in the United States has blocked one of Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, with the White House labelling the decision "bananas".
US President Donald Trump Photo: AFP
Judge William Orrick of San Francisco has issued a temporary nationwide injunction against the presidential order as the case continues in the courts.
San Francisco and Santa Clara County sued over the order in February.
The order would withhold federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities which refuse to detain immigrants for deportation.
Judge Orrick said any doubt about the scope of the "vague" order was erased by public comments made by Mr Trump, such as those calling the measure a "weapon" to use against jurisdictions that disagree with his immigration policies.
The 49-page court ruling added that the plaintiffs challenging Mr Trump's order were likely to succeed in proving the order unconstitutional.
'Sanctuary cities' - key points
- More than 400 jurisdictions across the US, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Seattle have enacted policies protecting undocumented immigrants within their boundaries.
- Officials in these designated areas, including local law enforcement, are not allowed to ask an individual's immigration status in the course of their duties.
- Mr Trump's executive order authorised the federal government to withhold funds from cities that did not co-operate with immigration officials or comply with federal law, but it has been blocked by federal judges.
The judge also accused the Trump administration of a "schizophrenic approach" to the order.
"Federal funding ... cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the president disapproves," he wrote.
It is another legal defeat for Mr Trump in his efforts to curb immigration - his plan to curtail travel from seven Muslim-majority nations was twice blocked in federal courts.
White House chief of staff Reince Priebus disparaged the move from the San Francisco appeals court, saying "it's the 9th Circuit gone bananas".
In a press release last week, the department accused sanctuary cities of "crumbling under the weight of illegal immigration and violent crime".
Mr Trump's measure had cast doubt on the transfer of about $US1.2 billion for San Francisco and $US1.7bn to Santa Clara County, home to many Silicon Valley communities.
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, itself a sanctuary city, praised the Tuesday ruling, saying the president had gone beyond his authority to cut funding to cities that "don't share his illogical and unconstitutional desire to scapegoat immigrants".
- BBC
