Portland May Join Lawsuit Against Trump Over Sanctuary Status

PORTLAND, OR – The Portland City Council is expected to consider Wednesday whether to join a lawsuit brought by the state against President Trump and acting Attorney General Matthew Whittaker. The suit challenges a Trump administration rule requiring that local law enforcement cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or risk losing federal grants.

Gov. Kate Brown and state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed the suit last week, announcing at the time that they had asked Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city of Portland to join the suit.

For that to happen, the city council must authorize city attorneys to do so.

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Oregon officials state that the Trump administration’s demand that the state, county, and local law enforcement enforce federal immigration laws is a violation of the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, which draws a line between federal and state authority.

The dispute is focused on the Trump administration’s fury over Oregon’s 31-year-old law enshrining Oregon as a “sanctuary” state. Trump has singled out not just the state but also officials such as Wheeler.

Oregon says that the the Trump administration put the must-cooperate clause into the rules governing the allocation of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and said if localities didn’t comply, they would lose the grant.

“Defendants have used the sword of federal funding to conscript state and local authorities to aid in federal civil immigration enforcement,” says the suit, which names Trump and the newly-appointed acting attorney general as defendants.

Oregon officials say that because they’ve upheld their own law and refused to give in to the Trump administration, they have lost $2,034,495 and anticipate losing another $2,092,704 this coming year.

The suit was filed just days after Oregon voters overwhelmingly beat back a referendum that would have repealed the state’s sanctuary law.

“Oregon voters sent a clear message to the Trump administration this week: Oregonians support our sanctuary laws,” Brown said. “The Trump administration’s attempts to withhold public safety dollars from our state is unjust, dangerous, and unconstitutional.”

Rosenblum added that “these public safety funds have been withdrawn because Oregon will not submit to U.S. DOJ’s demand that Oregon participate in its immigration enforcement efforts.”

The Trump administration has not yet responded to the suit.

File photo of Portland City Council via Portland City Council.