US court dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over Los Angeles immigration policy

By Blake Brittain

June 22 (Reuters) – A California court dismissed a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump’s administration against Los Angeles over a city ordinance that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin rejected the administration’s argument that the city’s policy was unconstitutional. He allowed the administration to file an amended complaint.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision Monday.

Los Angeles city attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said Monday that the decision “reinforces the well-established principle that local governments have the authority to decide how to use their personnel and resources.”

The administration’s lawsuit, filed last June, alleged that Los Angeles violated federal law by enacting policies prohibiting the use of city resources to assist in immigration enforcement operations or collect information about individuals’ citizenship status. The lawsuit comes weeks after Trump sent troops to quell protests against deportation operations in Los Angeles.

Olguin on Saturday rejected the administration’s claim that the City is unconstitutionally trying to regulate the federal government, finding instead that the ordinance “controls the actions of the City’s own representatives and agencies.”

The Trump administration has filed several lawsuits challenging similar policies adopted in jurisdictions run by Democrats. Federal judges dismissed administrative lawsuits against the cities of Boston and Chicago.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Christopher Cushing)