The Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael. [Photo courtesy County of Marin]
Marin County this week joined the growing coalition of local governments suing the Trump Administration over efforts to force jurisdictions to cooperate with federal ICE raids.
The lawsuit, City and County of San Francisco, et al., v. Donald J. Trump, et al., which was originally filed by San Francisco and Santa Clara counties in February, now includes 49 jurisdictions challenging the administration’s threats to withhold or condition federal funding unless local governments enforce federal civil immigration laws.
Marin County joins this case to safeguard its legal autonomy and secure essential funding for local services, the county said in an announcement.
“This is about protecting the values and priorities of Marin County residents,” said County Counsel Brian Washington in the statement. “The federal government cannot coerce local jurisdictions into doing its job through illegal threats to critical funding.”
The case challenges a trio of federal actions that attempt to force local agencies to act as immigration enforcers by withholding critical funds to jurisdictions which “abet so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies.” Such attempts, the plaintiffs argue, violate the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, the Spending Clause, the separation of powers and the 5th Amendment’s due process protections.
Marin County says its sanctuary status is a result of adherence to state law, particularly the California Values Act, or SB 54, which limits the use of local resources for federal immigration enforcement.
