by Cullen McCue at Trending Politics
A federal judge in Massachusetts denied a request for an injunction sought by two “sanctuary cities” in the state — Chelsea and Somerville — that sought to bar the Trump Administration from withholding federal funds due to their support for illegal aliens.
Somerville and Chelsea had requested a preliminary injunction in June, arguing that the targeting of cities and towns over their “sanctuary” policies — which openly defy federal immigration law by barring local authorities from working with immigration agents — is unconstitutional and at odds with advice from local law enforcement, according to a report from the Boston Herald.
The cities have also claimed that if the federal government withheld funds while their legal challenges were ongoing, there would be “irreparable harm” to municipal services.
U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton indicated that he was not buying those arguments when he denied the request for an injunction on Friday. In his Judge Gorton noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “has not frozen any particular funding, denied any grant application or withheld any reimbursement from plaintiffs.”