Judge dismisses Trump LA sanctuary city lawsuit

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles over its sanctuary city ordinance, ruling the law governs the city's own personnel rather than regulating the federal government, the city announced Monday.

U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin of the Central District of California issued the ruling over the weekend, granting the city's motion to dismiss but allowing the Justice Department to file an amended complaint. Olguin, an Obama appointee, rejected the administration's intergovernmental-immunity, Supremacy Clause and preemption arguments.

What the court held

Olguin found the government's allegations "insufficient to establish that the Ordinance violates the intergovernmental immunity doctrine," according to the Los Angeles Times. "The Ordinance does not directly regulate the federal government," he wrote. "Rather, it 'controls the actions of [the City's] own agents and agencies.'"

The judge also rejected the claim that the ordinance is preempted by federal immigration statutes, writing that the disputed provision "merely restricts a city employee from inquiring into or collecting information about a person's citizenship or immigration status," per Courthouse News.

The Los Angeles Times reported the administration may file an amended complaint by July 3. Courthouse News noted that the Justice Department may amend its claims against the city but not against individual defendants. The June 20 ruling dismissed with prejudice claims against Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and the City Council, leaving the city as the sole defendant.

The case behind it

The Justice Department filed the suit in June 2025, challenging the ordinance titled "Prohibition of the Use of City Resources for Federal Immigration Enforcement." The measure bars city personnel and property from being used to investigate, arrest, hold or transfer people for immigration enforcement, and forbids employees from seeking out citizenship or immigration status unless needed for a city service.

The suit followed a summer of ICE raids and protests in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard — and, the administration's lawsuit stated, U.S. Marines — to the city, according to the The Guardian. The city traces its policy to the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Order 40 from the 1970s.

Federal judges previously dismissed similar administration suits against Boston and Chicago, as well as against Colorado and Denver. The ruling adds to a string of immigration-related court matters facing the administration, which has also pursued a Minnesota anti-ICE conspiracy case and seen courts reject other moves, including an appeals ruling against its transgender troop ban.

Reactions

Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto called the ruling a legal victory. "This order reinforces the well-established principle that local governments have the authority to decide how to use their personnel and resources," she said.

Mayor Bass said the city was prepared for an appeal. "We will always fight back when anyone attacks L.A.," she said.

When the suit was filed, then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi defended it. "Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles," she said. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the dismissal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the judge decide?

U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit, ruling that the Los Angeles ordinance controls the city's own agents rather than directly regulating the federal government. He granted the Justice Department leave to file an amended complaint.

What does the LA ordinance do?

The ordinance, titled "Prohibition of the Use of City Resources for Federal Immigration Enforcement," bars city personnel and property from being used for immigration enforcement and limits collection of residents' citizenship or immigration status.

Can the Trump administration refile?

Yes. Olguin granted the Justice Department leave to file an amended complaint against the city; the Los Angeles Times reported the deadline as July 3. Courthouse News noted amendment is not permitted against the individual defendants.

Have similar lawsuits been dismissed elsewhere?

Yes. Federal judges previously dismissed comparable Trump-administration suits against Boston and Chicago, as well as against Colorado and Denver.

Sources

Reporting compiled from court records and the cited source outlets.