In yet another classic example of liberal lawfare and judicial overreach, a San Francisco-based Obama-appointed federal judge has once again stepped in to protect America’s sanctuary city cartel from accountability. U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick has ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at defunding sanctuary jurisdictions are “unconstitutional”—a slap in the face to the rule of law, national security, and the millions of Americans who support secure borders.
Let’s break it down: President Trump issued two commonsense executive orders—“Protecting the American People Against Invasion” and “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders.” These orders directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to withhold federal funds from cities and counties that openly defy federal immigration law by sheltering illegal aliens. It’s a policy that says: If you refuse to enforce the law, you don’t get rewarded with taxpayer money. Simple, right?
Not according to Judge Orrick, who ruled that the Trump administration’s move violates the Constitution’s “separation of powers” and the so-called “Spending Clause.” Apparently, in Orrick’s America, the president has no right to stop handing out federal dollars to jurisdictions that openly obstruct federal law enforcement. His ruling also tossed in claims of Fifth Amendment vagueness and Tenth Amendment coercion—typical legal jargon meant to blur the lines between lawlessness and law enforcement.
The plaintiffs? A who’s who of far-left havens: San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Portland, Seattle’s King County, Minneapolis, New Haven, and more. These are the same jurisdictions that have turned a blind eye to the illegal alien crime wave, thumbed their noses at ICE, and allowed violent criminals to roam free in the name of “inclusion.”
Orrick claimed that Trump’s orders caused these cities “irreparable injury” by creating “budgetary uncertainty” and “undermining trust” between local governments and illegal immigrant communities. That’s right—the judge is more worried about the feelings of lawbreakers and budget spreadsheets than the safety of American citizens.
But the real kicker? Orrick issued a sweeping nationwide preliminary injunction banning the Trump administration from taking any action—direct or indirect—to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funds. In other words, sanctuary cities can continue defying federal immigration law while feeding off the federal trough, and there’s nothing the president can do about it. The judge even ordered the White House to send out written notices to every federal agency by April 28, effectively handcuffing the entire federal government to his bench in San Francisco.
This isn’t the first time Orrick has played defense for illegal immigration. He blocked a similar Trump order in 2017 and is clearly making it his mission to preserve the sanctuary state model—no matter how many laws it violates or how many American lives it endangers.
Let’s be clear: This ruling is not about constitutional safeguards. It’s about protecting the progressive ruling class from the consequences of their own failed policies. Sanctuary cities have become breeding grounds for lawlessness, fentanyl, gang activity, and human trafficking—all while their leftist leaders virtue signal about compassion and tolerance. Meanwhile, the federal government is forced to keep paying them to break the law.
President Trump ran—and won—on a promise to restore law and order. He has every right to ensure that federal dollars are not funding rebellion against the Constitution. The American people deserve leaders who defend our borders—not activist judges who defend chaos.
