A federal appeals court temporarily narrowed the scope of a nationwide injunction against the Trump administration’s attempt to withhold grants from sanctuary cities, Politico reports. The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ request to stay the nationwide aspect of the injunction, so that it will apply only to the city of Chicago. The full appeals court will hear oral arguments over the scope of the injunction on Sept. 6. The ruling amounts to a victory for President Trump in his quest to bring into line jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, a frequent target of the president’s ire.
During a speech last week among “angel families” affected by violence at the hands of undocumented immigrants, Trump incorrectly railed against the Republican mayor of San Diego for tipping off residents to an upcoming immigration raid. The comment was likely intended for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, a Democrat, who warned of a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in her area. The administration’s attempt to force jurisdictions into compliance has run into legal obstacles. Federal judges in Philadelphia and Los Angeles have sided with those cities in legal battles over their sanctuary policies and Justice Department attempts to place conditions on federal grants. The 7th Circuit in April upheld a lower court’s block on an attempt to place immigration-related conditions on law enforcement grants through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.