Judge blocks Trump order on sanctuary cities

A federal judge ruled that US President Donald Trump can not coerce "sanctuary cities" to cooperate with immigration officers by withdrawing federal funds, media reports said.

The temporary ruling by Judge William Orrick of the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday, followed a 70-minute hearing on April 14 over San Francisco and Santa Clara County's lawsuit over the executive order signed by Trump on January 25, Xinhua news agency reported.

The executive order, issued five days after the President took office, directed the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary to make sure that sanctuary jurisdictions "are not eligible to receive federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes".

The lawsuit on February 3 in the federal court requested for an injunction to halt the enforcement of the order.

"We're fighting for the United States Constitution and we succeeded after the Trump Administration tried to do an end run around it," Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said in a statement after the judge's ruling.

"The court's decision is a win for the neediest people in our nation. Seniors in need of food, foster youth in need of shelter and children who need medical care. We'll continue being a welcoming, safe and diverse community," she said.

--IANS

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