Disclaimer: The information presented is accurate and current to the best of our knowledge as of March 1, 2026. Ongoing developments may affect the information presented, which will be reviewed and updated on a monthly basis as developments occur. Please refer to the hyperlinks provided below for real time information.
Select a Section
Litigation Between the U.S. Government and Sanctuary Jurisdictions
The Trump Administration repeatedly announced its intention to sue sanctuary jurisdictions over their policies, and has brought several lawsuits challenging the legality of sanctuary policies. In return, states and localities have sued the Trump administration for withholding federal funds from them.
Most of the federal government’s lawsuits make similar legal claims, alleging that the laws of the state or local government violate the Supremacy Clause and the federal statute 8 USC 1373. To learn more about 8 USC 1373, see ILRC, 8 USC 1373 What Does it Mean for Sanctuary Jurisdiction?
Additionally, sanctuary jurisdictions have initiated lawsuits against the federal government for unlawfully conditioning their funding on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement or for unlawfully federalizing and deploying the National Guard.
Executive Orders and Agency Directives
The Trump Administration has issued many Executive Orders and policy directives attacking immigrants and particularly those who defend immigrants, including sanctuary cities.
These orders and policies target sanctuary jurisdictions with threats of defunding, prosecution of elected officials, and lawsuits over local policies. Additional memos expand immigration enforcement powers to other branches of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ); prioritize federal criminal prosecutions related to immigration; demand a published list of sanctuary jurisdictions; impose coercive funding conditions on grants related to assistance in federal immigration enforcement; threaten criminal and civil actions; and enlist federal and local law enforcement agencies in the administration’s efforts to expand federal immigration enforcement.
Political Arrests and Prosecutions
The Trump Administration has sought to punish and intimidate its political opponents with federal prosecution and/or deportation. This has included detention and prosecution of immigrant community leaders and activists for their political speech, as well as innumerable threats of criminal charges in media and written policy announcements and arrests and charges against elected officials who try to exercise oversight of immigration detention. These attacks continue expanding under the government’s efforts to criminalize resistance to the violent mass deportation agenda.
Please note this list is not an exhaustive list of all the political arrests and prosecutions, especially of the many community members arrested and prosecuted for filming DHS agents or otherwise trying to protect their neighbors during violent raids. The cases here are highlighted as examples of the weaponization of prosecution against immigrants and pro-immigrant elected officials.
Large Scale Raids and Military Deployments
The Trump Administration has deployed thousands of federal agents to conduct large scale immigration raids across the country. In several places, this has involved sending, or attempting to send, National Guard troops. In others, the majority of agents have been from CBP and ICE, accompanied by other units from DHS and DOJ. These include HSI, FBI, ATF, DEA, and United States Park Police.
Many of these deployments have been challenged by litigation for the widespread use of unconstitutional tactics such as warrantless arrests. Jurisdictions have also launched many challenges to the federalization and deployment of National Guard troops in jurisdictions also experiencing large scale deployment of immigration agents.
Please note these specific deployments are organized chronologically by the date the operations were launched. There is widespread immigration enforcement still ongoing in many of these locations. And of course, many other places that have not seen these major deployments nonetheless are experiencing ongoing and aggressive immigration enforcement.