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Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions have blamed high crime on immigrants
The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against California over its laws that extend protections to people living in the US illegally.
The department said three state laws, which bar police from asking people about their citizenship status, are unconstitutional.
President Donald Trump has ramped up undocumented immigrant deportations as part of a campaign promise.
California officials have vowed to fight the lawsuit.
“I say, bring it on,” said California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon told the AP news agency.
Mr Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat, wrote the state’s bill deeming it a “sanctuary city”, which limits the assistance given to federal immigration authorities.
“The Department of Justice and the Trump administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair and unconstitutional policies that have been imposed on you,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to tell a group of law enforcement officers in Sacramento on Wednesday, according to his prepared remarks.
Mr Sessions and the justice department named the state of California, Governor Jerry Brown and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento on Tuesday.
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It is the first legal action against a state or local government over its immigration policies by Mr Sessions’ justice department.
The lawsuit cites a provision of the US Constitution called the “Supremacy Clause”, which states federal law overrules state laws.
One state law prevents workplace raids by restricting what information employers can share with immigration officials.
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The justice department has threatened to cut off funding to jurisdictions which resist its policies and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has said it planned to increase its presence in California.
In a tweet mimicking President Donald Trump’s Twitter style, Governor Jerry Brown called the move a “political stunt”.
California’s state laws protecting people in the US illegally have been a direct response to Mr Trump’s harsh immigration policies and promises.
Both Mr Sessions and Mr Trump have blamed crime and gang violence on “sanctuary laws” protecting immigrants.
Several other states including Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont have “sanctuary laws”, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
What is a ‘sanctuary city’?
- The term applies to cities in the US that have policies to limit the assistance given to federal immigration authorities
- Officials in those areas, including local law enforcement, are not allowed to enquire as to an individual’s immigration status in the course of their duties
- It is not a legal term so the way it is implemented can vary, but the policies can be set in law or just part of local policing practices
- The idea got traction in the 1980s after Los Angeles told its police force to stop questioning people solely to determine their immigration status, in a bid to encourage immigrant communities to work with police
- More than 400 jurisdictions across the US, including New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Seattle, have enacted policies protecting undocumented immigrants
- Critics say these policies undermine federal law enforcement efforts and encourage illegal immigration
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