Sanctuary Cities Face Federal Action Under Trump’s Latest Executive Order

President Trump’s new executive order threatens to strip federal funding from sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities, signaling a major shift in federal immigration enforcement policy.

Key Insights

The executive order targets sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, potentially cutting their federal funding.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem are tasked with pursuing legal actions against non-compliant cities.
Major cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, along with states including California and Washington, may face consequences for their sanctuary policies.
The White House has cited specific cases where sanctuary jurisdiction policies allegedly resulted in preventable crimes by illegal immigrants.
Some sanctuary cities, including New York, have already begun adjusting policies to allow ICE to operate in jails for criminal matters.

Trump’s Order Targets Federal Funding

President Trump signed a sweeping executive order this week that takes direct aim at sanctuary cities and states that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts. The order mandates the Justice Department to compile a list of all sanctuary jurisdictions across the country and authorizes the potential withholding of federal funding from those that remain non-compliant. This move fulfills one of Trump’s key campaign promises to accelerate deportations and strengthen immigration enforcement. The administration has identified numerous major cities including Chicago, New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles, along with entire states like California, Oregon, Washington, and Illinois as having sanctuary laws that impede federal immigration authorities.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt outlined the administration’s position clearly, stating: “It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities. The American public don’t want illegal alien criminals in their communities. They made that quite clear on November 5, and this administration is determined to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that directs federal and state officials to compile lists of so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions and prepare to cut their federal funds. https://t.co/cFXhl3pJ38

— LEX 18 News (@LEX18News) April 29, 2025

Administration Officials Leading Enforcement

The executive order assigns Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to lead the enforcement efforts. They are charged with pursuing legal actions against cities and jurisdictions that fail to comply with federal immigration laws. The order also seeks to prevent sanctuary city residents from receiving federal public benefits. The Trump administration has characterized sanctuary policies as a form of “lawless insurrection” that deliberately obstructs federal law enforcement from carrying out their duties to protect American citizens. Sanctuary jurisdictions will have the opportunity to comply with federal law before losing funding.

“These reckless policies in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation have led to too many preventable tragedies. They also endanger ICE agents who are forced to take more difficult enforcement actions in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities,” said House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.

Legal Challenges and City Responses

The executive order follows a complex legal history. During Trump’s previous administration, a federal judge blocked a similar attempt to restrict federal funds to sanctuary cities, citing constitutional violations. This new order has been crafted to address those previous legal obstacles. The White House has cited multiple examples where sanctuary jurisdictions failed to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allegedly resulting in crimes committed by illegal immigrants who could have been deported. These cases have heightened tensions between federal authorities and local governments that maintain sanctuary policies.

“No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist,” Trump stated prior to issuing the executive order.

Some city officials have already begun adjusting their approaches. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has modified certain immigration policies, permitting ICE to operate at Rikers Island jail specifically for criminal matters while maintaining other protections for non-criminal immigrants. Other cities are evaluating their options as the administration moves forward with implementing the order. This executive action is part of a broader effort, with Trump having signed over 140 executive orders in his first 100 days back in office, demonstrating a rapid pace of policy implementation focused on immigration enforcement.