San Francisco Federal Court is First to Hear Challenge to Hear Challenge to Trump Order Against Communities  that Embrace Immigrants

San Francisco – Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in California urged Federal Judge William Orrick to move swiftly to protect vital local services by ruling in favor of the City/County of San Francisco and the County of Santa Clara on Trump’s “sanctuary” jurisdiction order.  Today, Orrick’s court was the first in the nation to hear a challenge to the that would halt federal funding to localities that choose to use their law enforcement resources for local law enforcement rather than for federal immigration enforcement.  The Counties have been joined by workers, immigration advocates and civil rights organizations in arguing the order is illegal since it would deny jurisdictions federal funding has nothing to do with immigration. 

 SEIU California released the following statement from Roxanne Sanchez, President of SEIU Local 1021 after today’s hearing on the case:

 “SEIU workers urge Judge Orrick to protect our local residents and the vital services they count on by ruling against Trump’s federal intrusion on our communities’ values. We believe we are on the right side of history and that justice will prevail against Trump’s policies of hate and fear. Ruling for the counties in this case means protecting the services our communities count on, from health care to home care, public health, transportation, social services, and emergency response.

“SEIU members are proud to join the communities we serve in defending our local values of unity and inclusion. We’ve sent a clear message that we won’t stand by while the Trump Administration scapegoats immigrant families.  We refuse to allow crucial services to be held hostage for the fulfillment of Trump’s divisive and hateful agenda.”

Last month, workers who are represented by SEIU filed amicus briefs in support of the San Francisco and Santa Clara lawsuits, telling the stories of front-line workers and the harm that Trump’s Executive Order is already doing to the services they provide and the local residents who count on them.