A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that a Texas law against sanctuary cities is constitutional. The decision is a victory for the Trump administration, which opposed sanctuary policies.
The news of the ruling came mere hours after Trump lambasted sanctuary policies in remarks he made after reviewing border wall prototypes in San Diego, California.
"California sanctuary policies put the entire nation at risk. They're the best friend of the criminal," the president said. "That's what exactly is happening. The criminals take refuge in these sanctuary cities, and it's very dangerous for our police and enforcement folks."
Trump's administration backed the measure and joined Texas in court to land support in the legal battle. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who blames sanctuary policies for the spread of crime and gang violence, sued California last week over the sanctuary laws passed there as part of an effort to resist Trump.
The most common way sanctuary cities interfere with immigration enforcement is by refusing to detain illegal alien criminals after they had served their time in prisons and jails. In a recent lesson common example, Oakland's mayor warned illegal aliens of an upcoming immigration raid, drawing a rebuke from Sessions.
On Tuesday, Trump called on Congress to prohibit federal grants to sanctuary cities in the omnibus spending bill.
"These policies release dangerous criminal offenders to prey on innocent people and nullify the federal law. They're threatening the security and the safety of the people of our country," Trump said. "In the upcoming omnibus budget bill, Congress must fund the border wall and prohibit grants to sanctuary jurisdictions that threaten the security of our country and the people of our country. We must enforce our laws and protect our people."