A federal court in California has thrown out a lawsuit brought by the Trump administration against the city of Los Angeles over its local immigration enforcement policy.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin ruled against the administration’s claim that the city’s ordinance was unconstitutional, though he did allow the administration the opportunity to submit a revised complaint.
The White House had not responded to requests for comment by Monday.
Los Angeles city attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto issued a statement Monday saying the decision “reinforces the well-established principle that local governments have the authority to decide how to use their personnel and resources.”
The administration originally filed the lawsuit last June, arguing that Los Angeles broke federal law by adopting policies that prevent city employees and resources from being used to assist federal immigration enforcement or to gather information about individuals’ citizenship status. The legal action came just weeks after President Trump sent troops to Los Angeles to suppress protests against deportation operations.
In his Saturday ruling, Judge Olguin found that rather than interfering with the federal government, the city’s ordinance simply “controls the actions of the City’s own agents and agencies” — directly contradicting the administration’s core argument.
This dismissal is part of a broader pattern. The Trump administration has pursued multiple lawsuits against cities with similar immigration policies, most of which are led by Democrats. Federal courts have also dismissed administration lawsuits against Boston and Chicago over comparable policies.
