San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera is asking a federal court to block part of a presidential executive order that directs the Trump administration to strip federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities.
President Trump issued the order just days after assuming office, and Herrera sued the following week. In a court filing on Wednesday, Herrera said the city can't wait for the case to play out — or even for Trump to withhold the money — because they're trying to craft a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
In the filing, Herrera wrote that the consequences of what he calls a “presidential fiat” are “potentially catastrophic” — the city stands to lose as much as $2 billion — and San Francisco "cannot stand idly by waiting for the Executive Order's uncertain process to unfold.”
"Withdrawing all — or even a substantial amount — of federal funding would be devastating to San Francisco: the City would be forced to reduce the number of first responders, suspend capital projects, and slash critical service programs," he added.