Trump's legal crackdown on "sanctuary" cities and states yields few results so far [View all]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: October 1, 2025 / 5:30 PM EDT


Since President Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has mounted an aggressive effort to crack down on cities, counties and states that aren't participating in its mass deportation campaign, threatening these so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions with lawsuits, funding cuts and other penalties.

The Trump administration has also directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to surge deportation agents to sanctuary jurisdictions like Chicago and Los Angeles, where highly visible federal immigration raids have triggered massive protests and confrontations.

But eight months into Mr. Trump's second administration, the effort to exert pressure on these jurisdictions has yielded few tangible results, with most lawsuits still unresolved and local Democratic leaders doubling down on policies that limit or bar cooperation with federal immigration officials.

The Justice Department has cited only one case in which a jurisdiction — Louisville, Kentucky — has abandoned its sanctuary policies in the face of legal actions or threats. Nevada's Republican governor also recently vowed to cooperate with federal immigration officials after his state was identified as a sanctuary jurisdiction. The administration's attempts to halt federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions, meanwhile, have been blocked by federal courts.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-sanctuary-cities-crackdown-results/