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President Donald Trump declared his opposition to sanctuary policieswhen he signed Executive Order 13768, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” during his first month in office. It states that to the extent permitted by law, sanctuary jurisdictions that willfully refuse to share immigration information with federal immigration officers will not be eligible to receive federal grants.

Shortly after the order was released, two California localities filed suit in federal district court seeking to halt the implementation of that directive.

This began a dispute between Trump and the State of California over its sanctuary policies that is still going on.

The most recent lawsuit was filed by the Department of Justice. DOJ seeks to enjoin three of California’s sanctuary laws which allegedly reflect a deliberate attempt to obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration law.

One of these laws is SB 54, which, in addition to restricting the sharing of immigration information with federal immigration officers, prohibits the transfer of criminal aliens to federal custody.

If this dispute escalates, the next step may be harboring prosecutions of California officials who are deliberately making it easier for undocumented aliens to remain in the United States illegally, such as the officials responsible for the enactment of California AB 60.

AB 60 required the California Department of Motor Vehicle to issue driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants who can establish state residence. More than a million undocumented aliens have received California driver’s licenses.

Is California really helping undocumented aliens with its sanctuary policies?

A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) on labor laws that California has enacted to protect unauthorized immigrant workers indicates that many of the aliens who have been attracted to California by its sanctuary policies are being exploited by unscrupulous employers.

Read more at http://thehill.com/opinion/immigrati...sanctuary-laws

Published originally on The Hill.

About the author. Nolan Rappaport was detailed to the House Judiciary Committee as an executive branch immigration law expert for three years; he subsequently served as an immigration counsel for the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims for four years. Prior to working on the Judiciary Committee, he wrote decisions for the Board of Immigration Appeals for 20 years.