“Richmond has not actually refused to cooperate or assist ICE, has not declined to honor any detainer requests, and has not otherwise hindered the enforcement of federal immigration law,” Orrick wrote in a order dismissing Richmond’s lawsuit. “Given that Richmond’s policies have, apparently, had no practical effect on ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts, it is hard to imagine that Richmond is a high priority for the federal government’s efforts to discourage ‘sanctuary policies.”
In March, the City of Richmond, California filed a lawsuit in federal court against Trump’s executive order to withhold federal grants from so-called sanctuary cities. The lawsuit was seeking an injunction to stop Executive Order 13768 from being enforced. Richmond, which has a large Hispanic population, relies heavily on federal grants to fund housing and local police. The city reportedly received $77 million in federal funds this fiscal year.
“This is an unprecedented abuse of federal power and is full of arrogance by Washington, D.C., to break up the trust of the people of Richmond and the public servants that represent them,” lead attorney Joe Cotchett told the local news at the time. “This lawsuit was filed not just for Richmond, but on behalf of every little city not only in California but across the nation.”
The court dismissed the lawsuit finding that the City of Richmond did not have “pre-enforcement” standing to file the lawsuit.
“[R]egardless of what its large Latino population might indicate, ICE has never asked Richmond for assistance enforcing immigration laws and has never issued a detainer request to Richmond police. Richmond has not alleged any facts supporting the contention that its large Latino population is likely to subject it to defunding under the Executive Order,” Judge Orrick wrote.
Richmond has 20 days to re-file the lawsuit if they want to attempt to address some of the legal problems. We reached out to the City of Richmond for comment, and will update upon receiving a response.