Trump administration sues Los Angeles over sanctuary immigration policies

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles over its sanctuary city policies, accusing local authorities of hindering federal immigration enforcement and fostering "lawlessness," press reports said on Monday.

Filed in the Central District of California, the lawsuit challenges the city's ordinance that prohibits using local resources for immigration enforcement, according to the Guardian.

The court filing calls the policy "illegal" and demands that it be blocked as part of a wider federal crackdown on undocumented immigration.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that "sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles."

The lawsuit follows weeks of large-scale immigration raids and the deployment of National Guard and Marine units across southern California.

Protests erupted in response, drawing tens of thousands of demonstrators and prompting Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to impose, and later lift, a nighttime curfew.

The court document claims that "the practical upshot of Los Angeles's refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities has, since June 6, 2025, been lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism."

"We will keep enforcing federal immigration law in Los Angeles, whether or not the city's government or residents agree with it," the Guardian quoted Chad Mizelle, chief of staff to Bondi, as saying.