WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest Tuesday in support of Huntington Beach’s lawsuit challenging the “California Values Act,” which restricts local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration officials, according to the Orange County Register.
The lawsuit, filed by the city, its Police Department and City Council, alleges that California violated two provisions of the U.S. Constitution. It claims the state violated the Supremacy Clause, which establishes the primacy of federal law, and infringed on Congress’ exclusive authority over naturalization.
In its statement of interest, the DOJ concurred with Huntington Beach’s claim that the act violates the Supremacy Clause and urged the court to rule in the plaintiffs’ favor, the Register reported.
The DOJ wrote that the California Values Act “prohibits California state and local law enforcement agencies from assisting federal immigration enforcement efforts,” and bars them from “investigat[ing], interrogat[ing], detain[ing], detect[ing], or arrest[ing] persons for immigration enforcement purposes.” It also prevents them from providing information about individuals’ release dates to federal immigration officials.
The DOJ cited the newly-enacted Laken Riley Act, signed by President Trump on Jan. 29, which authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to issue a detainer for an undocumented immigrant. The law requires local or state law enforcement to notify DHS (Department of Homeland Security) of the person’s release date and to detain the person for up to 48 hours beyond their scheduled release on state charges.
According to the DOJ, this federal requirement renders the California law unconstitutional because it blocks local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“By refusing to honor civil detainers expressly authorized by Congress and creating a de facto requirement that federal immigration authorities obtain a criminal warrant to arrest or take custody of a detained alien, California has unlawfully burdened the use of these means for federal immigration officials to carry out their statutory functions,” the DOJ wrote.
The DOJ also linked recent unrest in Los Angeles to the law, stating that “the latest consequence of California’s enforcement of the CVA are the riots in Los Angeles that began on June 6, 2025. By prohibiting [law enforcement agencies] from ensuring the safe transfer of criminals from state to federal custody in the secure environment of detention facilities, the CVA has left ICE no choice but to arrest those criminals in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, putting agents and detainees alike at higher risk.”
The lawsuit is the latest in Huntington Beach’s ongoing effort to declare itself a “non-sanctuary city.” The city previously sued the state in 2018 in a similar effort, but the lawsuit was unsuccessful. The Trump administration also attempted to challenge the law, without legal success, according to the Register.
Current U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated in a press release, “California’s existing state law is designed to interfere with local jurisdictions that want to carry out immigration enforcement,” as reported by the Register. She added, “As this week’s violence in Los Angeles demonstrates, the safe administration of immigration enforcement is both paramount and under threat — laws that undermine immigration enforcement at great risk to agents and citizens must not stand.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded publicly to the lawsuit, stating, “California made a choice when it passed SB 54: to use our resources to protect public safety and to maintain trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. But instead of focusing on this vital responsibility, Huntington Beach is attempting to relitigate settled law in a misguided attempt to divert its limited resources to federal immigration enforcement.”
Bonta’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit is scheduled to be heard in August by the U.S. District Court in California.
