President Donald Trump is preparing a new executive order to escalate his battle with sanctuary cities that protect illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities, according to a new report.
The order, which The Wall Street Journal said will be released Monday, will call upon Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to prepare lists of sanctuary cities and states that refuse to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when ICE wants an illegal immigrant detained.
The Journal report said that penalties being considered for the governmental units on the list include a cutoff in federal aid, criminal charges, and civil suits.
The order will empower the Justice Department to file civil rights lawsuits against governments.
The Journal report said that one example of this could be state laws that allow illegal immigrants to enter public universities as state residents, allowing them to pay lower tuition than out-of-state residents. About 25 states have such policies, the Journal reported.
“President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Monday escalating his battle against Democratic-led states and cities that don’t fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities,” a White House official said, according to The Guardian.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will sign two immigration-related orders on Monday.
One order will “strengthen and unleash America’s law enforcement to pursue criminals and protect citizens,” she said.
Should sanctuary states and cities face serious consequences?
A second order is “centered around protecting American communities from criminal aliens, and it will direct the attorney general and secretary of homeland security to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that have shucked the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”
🚨 BREAKING: Trump is today signing executive orders on sanctuary cities and law & order.
The sanctuary city order will direct AG Pam Bondi and DHS Sec. Noem to publish a list of these jurisdictions who buck immigration laws. pic.twitter.com/dhcoC4k7pj
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 28, 2025
The administration has sued Rochester, New York, officials who criticized the city’s police for assisting federal immigration officials with detentions that took place on March 24 in the city.
“The challenged law and policies are designed to deliberately impede federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities in those jurisdictions,” the lawsuit said.
“The law and policies intentionally obstruct the sharing of information envisioned by Congress, thereby impairing federal detention of removable aliens, including dangerous criminals, as required by federal law.”
The lawsuit accused Rochester officials of conducting an “intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and to impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe.”
Trump DOJ yesterday sued City of Rochester over Sanctuary City policies and some police policies related to ICE activities: pic.twitter.com/IqeKvyGFvR
— Gary Craig (@gcraig1) April 25, 2025
Last week, a federal judge blocked Trump’s efforts to punish sanctuary cities by blocking their federal funding, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said parts of an executive order issued by Trump that would have blocked funding to sanctuary cities were unconstitutional.
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