The city of Huntington Beach is once again challenging a California sanctuary law, nearly seven years after its first attempt. The city is suing the state in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Jan. 7, arguing the California Values Act or SB-54, which limits local authorities’ ability to work with federal immigration officials, is unconstitutional.
The lawsuit argues the law violates the supremacy and naturalization clauses of the U.S. Constitution and breaks federal law by advising local law enforcement not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The lawsuit also cites a press release from state Attorney General Rob Bonta on Dec. 17, 2024, that reminds “California immigrants of their rights and protections under the law.”
In the release, Bonta notes, “State and local law enforcement cannot assist ICE with immigration enforcement, with very limited exceptions.”
Bonta added that ICE cannot detain migrants unless it is “part of a joint task force” whose “primary purpose is not immigration enforcement.”
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns said SB-54 hurts local police officers’ “ability to fully enforce the law and keep our community safe.”
The California Values Act was signed into law in 2017 and was seen by some as “an act of resistance” by state Democrats against Trump’s first-term immigration policies.
The first Trump administration tried to have the law thrown out but the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the attempt in 2019.
The city of Huntington Beach also unsuccessfully attempted to have the law derailed in 2018.
Bonta defended the law then, promising to protect the rights of immigrants and uphold the law.
The California Attorney General’s Office has yet to respond to the latest lawsuit at the time that this report was published.
