On Wednesday, Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, announced that the Justice Department is suing California over its immigration laws. Three state laws that comprise the state’s decision to declare it a sanctuary jurisdiction, which refuses to offer cooperation with attempts to enforce federal immigration laws. Although not the only territory to pursue such policies, California is the largest.
Sessions told law enforcement officers in the state capital of California that the government is asking such sanctuary jurisdictions to stop obstructing the efforts of federal law enforcement. He said that such policies, which he described as irrational, unconstitutional, and unfair, would be fought and defeated by the Trump administration. Sessions also took aim at Libby Schaaf, the Mayor of Oakland, who offered social media warnings of an immigration sweep last week, saying her actions endangered the lives of immigration officers.
Sessions accused Schaaf of risking the lives of law enforcement personnel to promote a radical agenda of open borders but said that California had more problems than one solitary Mayor. Schaaf has stood by her decision to issue the warning, claiming it allowed people to become aware of their legal rights during the operation.
The suit filed by the Justice Department alleges that the California laws intended to make it more difficult for the federal immigration officials to carry out their responsibilities. State Attorney, General Xavier Becerra, and Governor, Jerry Brown, named as defendants in the suit, both insist that the laws comply with federal law.