A U.S. court dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit against Los Angeles' sanctuary city policy on June 23, 2026, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney's office. The ruling blocked one of the federal government's attempts to force local police to work with immigration agents.

What is a sanctuary city? It's a jurisdiction—a city or state—that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Los Angeles has had such a policy for decades, and the Trump administration sued to overturn it, arguing the city was breaking federal law.

How Los Angeles Protects Immigrants

Los Angeles uses two policies. The first, Special Order 40, dates back to 1979 and told the LAPD not to help federal immigration authorities. The second is newer: in November 2024, the City Council formally made L.A. a sanctuary city and explicitly banned city employees and police from working with federal immigration agents.

The Trump administration's Justice Department sued, saying these policies violated federal law. The city argued back using a constitutional principle: the federal government cannot force cities to use their own police and resources for federal purposes.

This is a legal argument about power. The Justice Department says federal immigration law overrides local policy. The city says the Constitution doesn't let the federal government boss around local police forces.

The court's decision to throw out the lawsuit before trial is good news for Los Angeles, though the exact legal reason matters. The opinion—which hasn't been fully released—could be based on narrow technical grounds or on the bigger constitutional question. That detail will shape what happens in similar cases elsewhere.

More Legal Battles Ahead

This isn't the first time a court has sided against the Trump administration on this issue. In January 2026, another judge refused to dismiss a separate lawsuit challenging the administration's threat to cut federal money from sanctuary cities. That case will continue in court.

Mayor Karen Bass also took action on the political side. In July 2025, she issued an official directive telling city departments to help immigrant communities, directly responding to what the city called illegal federal immigration raids.

The Trump administration is not giving up. It has filed similar lawsuits against New York City and Minnesota. It can also appeal the Los Angeles decision. The administration also has another legal option: threatening to cut federal funding unless cities agree to cooperate with immigration enforcement.

The core disagreement is straightforward: Can the federal government force cities to help with immigration enforcement, or does the Constitution protect local control over local police? The courts have not yet given a final answer, and these cases will determine how that conflict gets resolved.