Key facts
- A California court dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against Los Angeles.
- The lawsuit challenged a city ordinance limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
- U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin ruled the ordinance controls the city's own agents and agencies.
- The administration argued the city violated federal law by barring city resources from aiding immigration enforcement or collecting citizenship status information.
- The judge allowed the administration to file an amended complaint.
A California court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Los Angeles over a city ordinance limiting its cooperation with federal immigration authorities. U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin rejected the administration's argument that the city's policy was unconstitutional, stating that the ordinance "controls the actions of the City's own agents and agencies." The administration had argued that Los Angeles violated federal law by enacting policies that barred city resources from being used to aid immigration enforcement operations or collect information about individuals' citizenship status. The lawsuit was filed after Trump deployed troops to quell protests in Los Angeles against deportation operations. Los Angeles city attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said the ruling "reinforces the well-established principle that local governments have the authority to decide how to use their personnel and resources." The Trump administration has filed several lawsuits challenging similar policies in Democratic-run jurisdictions, with federal judges having previously dismissed administration lawsuits against Boston and Chicago.