LOS ANGELES, CA – A New York Times article by Soumya Karlamangla and Jesus Jiménez, published on April 28, 2025, reports on California’s expanding sanctuary policies in anticipation of President Trump signing an executive order Monday night. The order would direct “federal officials to publish a list of all jurisdictions that have declared themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants in the United States,” according to the Times.
The New York Times notes that Berkeley, California, was the “first place in the nation to deem itself a sanctuary city” in 1971, originally offering refuge to “sailors who protested the Vietnam War.” Since then, over 25 California cities and counties have “declared themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants by passing laws” limiting local cooperation with federal deportation efforts.
These policies are expected to “make California a greater target for the Trump administration as federal officials try to punish governments with sanctuary policies,” the Times reports.
While it remains “unclear how Mr. Trump intends to use the list” of sanctuary jurisdictions, the Times suggests he may “try to cut funding or take legal action” against them.
California, more than any other state, is home to “about 1.8 million undocumented residents,” according to the Pew Research Center. In 2017, California declared itself a sanctuary state amid “threats of mass deportations during Mr. Trump’s first term,” the Times notes.
In this second Trump term, cities such as Oakland, Sacramento, and San Diego continue to maintain sanctuary status, the Times reports.
Although there is no legal definition of a sanctuary city, the Times explains that it generally refers to “limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.”
San Francisco has had sanctuary protections since 1989. According to the Times, the city restricts law enforcement from providing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with advance notice of a person’s release from jail and prohibits cooperation with ICE detainer requests, or “ICE holds.”
California’s statewide law, enacted in 2017, similarly “prohibits cooperation with federal immigration authorities in most cases,” with exceptions for individuals “convicted of certain crimes—mostly felonies and violent offenses,” according to the Times.
As Trump explores further executive actions against sanctuary cities, Los Angeles—home to over 3.6 million immigrants—is reinforcing its protections. “Two weeks after Mr. Trump won the presidential election in November,” the city began “preparing for his second term by reinforcing its sanctuary city status,” the Times reports.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez told the Times that “the president had previously gone after California’s sanctuary status and failed.”
The Trump administration previously sued California over the 2017 sanctuary state law. However, the Times notes the law was upheld by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019.
Referring to the new executive order, Soto-Martínez called it “another scare tactic to get us to follow this authoritarian agenda,” the Times reports.
Schools are emerging as flashpoints in this ongoing conflict. Earlier this month, Homeland Security Investigations agents “showed up unannounced to two campuses of the Los Angeles Unified School District,” according to the Times.
The agents, part of the Department of Homeland Security, said they were conducting welfare checks on unaccompanied minors to ensure the children were not being “exploited, abused, or sex trafficked.” School officials denied the agents entry. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the Times he was “mystified” by the decision to target schools.
As part of the administration’s crackdown, the Times reports that Trump has directed officials to “take any criminal or civil actions against sanctuary jurisdictions that interfere with immigration enforcement.” He also “threatened to block federal funding” for noncompliant jurisdictions.
In response, San Francisco and Santa Clara County filed a federal lawsuit in February, joined by numerous cities and counties across the country—including San Diego; Santa Fe, N.M.; Seattle; New Haven, Conn.; and King County, Wash.—representing “nearly 10 million residents,” the Times adds.
Judge William H. Orrick of the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction last week, blocking the administration from withholding federal funds to these jurisdictions, according to the Times.
The Times also reports that Rochester, N.Y., was sued by the Trump administration last week after city officials criticized police officers who had helped federal agents detain undocumented immigrants during a traffic stop. As a sanctuary city, Rochester argued the officers may have violated city policy.
Not all California jurisdictions support sanctuary policies. In January, Huntington Beach “declared itself a non-sanctuary city” after a unanimous vote by its City Council. All seven members are Republicans who have “backed the MAGA movement in unique ways,” the Times reports.
The city’s resolution “specifies that police officers and other officials will coordinate and communicate with federal law enforcement,” according to the Times.
Similarly, the city of Oroville passed a non-sanctuary resolution in March “for all criminals,” citing public safety concerns despite having a “relatively small immigrant population,” the Times notes.
Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman clarified that while his department will not conduct immigration raids, deputies will notify ICE of undocumented individuals who “pose a serious threat.” Redman stated, “This approach is strictly reserved for the most dangerous offenders. In good conscience, I cannot tarnish my badge by allowing violent offenders to be released back into the community,” according to the Times.
