Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Santa Clara County, CA v. Donald J. Trump
Santa Clara County, CA v. Donald J. Trump
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1 TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 Page
3 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1
5 INTRADISTRICT ASSIGNMENT.................................................................................................5
6 THE PARTIES.................................................................................................................................5
9 1. 1.9 million residents depend upon the County for essential services. .........6
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COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF
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1 INTRODUCTION
2 1. This lawsuit challenges President Donald J. Trumps January 25, 2017 executive
3 order directing reprisals against state, local, and municipal governments that he deems to be so-
4 called sanctuary jurisdictions. Exec. Order 13,768, 82 Fed. Reg. 8799 (Jan. 25, 2017) (the
5 Executive Order). The Executive Order is patently unconstitutional under the Constitutions
6 plain text, as well as settled United States Supreme Court precedent. The Executive Order throws
7 Plaintiff County of Santa Claras current budgetary and planning process into chaos, and also
8 poses a real risk to the health, welfare, and safety of thousands of County residents.
9 2. The Executive Order purports to seize for the President and his subordinate
10 executive officersnamely, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Securitythe
11 power to declare any sanctuary jurisdiction ineligible to receive any federal funds. The
12 Executive Order nowhere defines the term sanctuary jurisdiction. The Secretary of Homeland
13 Security has plenary authority to designate any state, city, county, or other entity as a sanctuary
15 3. The Executive Order fails to provide any state or local government designated as a
16 sanctuary jurisdiction with a right to challenge the designation through judicial review or any
17 other means. Indeed, the Executive Order does not even require the federal government to
18 provide notice to a state or local government that it has been designated a sanctuary
19 jurisdiction. Accordingly, the Executive Order gives the President and his executive agents
20 unfettered, unreviewable discretion to strip any state or local government of its right to obtain any
21 federal money, at any time or for any purpose, including money Congress has already
23 4. The Executive Order does not stop there. It also directs the Attorney General to
24 take appropriate enforcement action not only against so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, but
25 also any entity that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prevents or hinders the
26 enforcement of Federal law. The Executive Order does not define what constitutes preventing
27 or hindering enforcement of federal law. As a result, this broadly and carelessly worded
28 directive requires our nations top law-enforcement officer to take reprisals against any state, city,
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1 county, or other municipality that he may decide, in his sole and unreviewable discretion, has
2 taken any act that he believes hinders any interest set forth in the vast body of federal law. An
3 aggrandizement of executive power of this magnitude has rarely been attempted in the history of
4 the Republic.
5 5. The Executive Order also grants the Attorney General authority to commandeer
6 local law enforcement officers to carry out the Presidents immigration agenda. It further
7 obligates the Attorney General to retaliate against a local government whose law enforcement
8 officers fail to provide what he considers full compliance, in his sole and unreviewable
9 discretion.
10 6. The Executive Order contains other enormous and obvious problems. Section 5,
11 for example, vastly expands federal immigration enforcement priorities by prioritizing for
12 removal undocumented immigrants who, inter alia, have allegedly committed acts that
13 constitute a chargeable criminal offense, abused any program related to receipt of public
14 benefits, or who, [i]n the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public
15 safety or national security. Executive Order, Sec. 5(c), (e), (g) at 8800. These standardless
16 provisions encourage and sanction arbitrary, subjective, and discriminatory enforcement. And
17 Section 6 of the Executive Order requires assessment of fines and penalties against not only
18 undocumented persons but anyone who facilitate[s] their presence in the United States. This
19 undefined and unbounded category may include anyone who unknowingly rents a room to or
20 conducts business with an undocumented person, medical personnel who provide essential or
21 even life-saving services to an undocumented person, or even a lawyer defending such a person in
22 immigration proceedings.
23 7. Through this lawsuit, the County of Santa Clara (the County) challenges only
24 those aspects of the Executive Orders unconstitutionality that directly injure the Countys
25 interests and are ripe for judicial review. Other challenges by other plaintiffs are sure to follow.
26 This action alleges that the Executive Order is unconstitutional for the following independent
27 reasons.
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1 8. First, the Executive Order seizes for the President and the executive branch the
2 power of the federal purse, which belongs exclusively to Congress under Article I, section 8,
3 clause 1 of our federal Constitution. Only Congress has the power to appropriate and spend
4 federal dollars. This power includes the right to determine who is eligible to receive federal
5 funds, as well as which conditions, if any, they must fulfill to receive those funds. The President
6 has no power to appropriate funds or unilaterally place conditions on eligibility for receipt of
7 federal money, much less to bar by fiat a state, city, or county from receiving any federal money
10 spending power for the President and the executive branch that even Congress lacks. Under a
11 long and unbroken line of United States Supreme Court precedent, Congresss power to place
12 conditions on the receipt of federal funds is limited in several fundamental respects. Once it
13 provides money to a state, county, or city and the money is accepted, Congress is barred from
14 imposing new conditions. Nor may Congress impose conditions on federal money that are
15 unrelated to the federal interest furthered by the appropriated funds. And Congress cannot
16 impose a condition that is so coercive that it amounts to a gun to the head, leaving the state or
17 local government with no real choice but to buckle to a federal demand. The Executive Order
18 attempts to do all these things. Accordingly, even if the Executive Order were an Act of
20 10. Congress has not only failed to grant the President the spending power he now
21 claims, but it also considered and rejected the very policy the Executive Order now seeks to
22 impose by dictate. Indeed, Senator Jeff Sessionsthe man tapped to become the Attorney
23 General referenced in the Executive Orderintroduced a Senate bill in 2015 that would have
25 federal immigration enforcement directives and priorities. The bill died in committee, as did its
26 counterpart in the House of Representatives. After Mr. Sessions failed to achieve his policy ends
27 through the legislative process, the President simply imposed them through the Executive Order,
28 which repeats portions of Mr. Sessionss failed bill verbatim. A long line of Supreme Court
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1 precedent makes clear that when the President acts in derogation of the expressed or implied will
2 of Congress, his power is at its lowest ebb. Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S.
3 579, 637 (1952) (Jackson, J., concurring). That is the case here. The President cannot enact Mr.
4 Sessionss bill by executive order, especially when Congress itself declined the opportunity.
5 11. Second, the Executive Order is unconstitutional because it is too vague to provide
6 the County with reasonable notice of what it must do to comply with its terms and avoid
7 unspecified enforcement actions. The Executive Order requires states, cities, and counties to
8 refrain from hinder[ing] any enforcement of any federal law. Because this standard is nowhere
9 defined in the Executive Order and its application is left up entirely to the sole and unreviewable
10 discretion of the Attorney General, a state, city, or county could suffer whatever reprisals deemed
11 appropriate by the Attorney General for any act deemed insufficiently supportive of federal law
13 12. Third, the Executive Order denies the County the procedural due process
14 protections afforded to it by the Fifth Amendment. The Executive Order provides the County no
15 clue as to which acts would trigger the hindrance standard, and no opportunity to contest the
16 Attorney Generals decision or have that decision reviewed by an independent tribunal. Indeed,
17 the Executive Order fails to guarantee that the County will even receive notice that it has been
19 enforcement actions. Because it fails to provide affected jurisdictions with reasonable notice or
20 any opportunity to be heard, the Executive Order violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth
22 13. Fourth, the Executive Order violates the Tenth Amendment and the federalism
23 principles that animate our governmental structure. By requiring that County officials take
25 enforcement of Federal law, the Executive Order commandeers state and local officials,
26 transforming them into federal apparatchiks and severing the bonds of political accountability
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2 constitutional law establishing the separation of powers between the legislative and executive
3 branches of the federal government. It likewise flouts basic principles of federalism that prevent
4 the federal government from invading the sovereignty of state and local governments. It is a
5 naked grab for power that never has, does not, and cannot belong to the President or the executive
28 20. Defendant Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States. He is sued in his
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1 official capacity.
2 21. Defendant John F. Kelly is the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland
3 Security, a federal government agency responsible for, among other things, the enforcement of
4 U.S. immigration laws. Defendant Kelly is sued solely in his official capacity.
5 22. Defendant Dana J. Boente is the Acting Attorney General of the U.S. Department
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6 of Justice. Defendant Boente is sued solely in his official capacity.
7 23. Defendant Mark Sandy is the Acting Director of the Office of Management and
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8 Budget. Defendant Sandy is sued solely in his official capacity.
9 24. The true names and capacities of Defendants identified as DOES 1-50 are
10 unknown to Plaintiff, and Plaintiff will amend this Complaint to insert the true names and
12 FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
13 A. The County Relies on Federal Funding.
14 1. 1.9 million residents depend upon the County for essential services.
15 25. The County was established in 1850 as one of the first counties in California
16 statehood. Today, 1.9 million people reside in the County, and rely on it to provide essential
17 services, such as law enforcement, health and hospital care, education, care for youth and elderly,
18 and social services. Many of the Countys programs serve the neediest County residents, such as
19 abused and neglected children, indigent and uninsured individuals requiring health care, persons
20 who are mentally ill or substance dependent, and persons who are physically or mentally
21 disabled.
22 26. The County also oversees most regional public health and public safety functions,
23 including emergency planning and services, disease control and prevention, and criminal justice
24 administration, in addition to operating roads, airports, parks, libraries, election systems, fire
25 departments, and many other critical functions.
26 1
The President has nominated Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as Attorney General, and, if
confirmed, Senator Sessions will replace Acting Attorney General Boente.
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The President has nominated Congressman Mick Mulvaney to serve as Director of the Office of
28 Management and Budget and, if confirmed, Representative Mulvaney will replace Acting
Director Sandy.
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1 services, as well as emergency and acute psychiatric services. Federal funds also allow SCVMC
2 to invest in research, programs, and technologies that benefit all patients and society more
3 broadly.
4 31. If SCVMC were to lose the funding that it receives from federal grants and
6 and those with chronic diseasewould be left without viable healthcare options. This would
9 32. The Countys Social Services Agency (SSA) provides a wide array of services
10 to the Countys most vulnerable residents, including child welfare and child protective services,
11 aid to needy families, services and support to disabled children and adults, services and protection
13 33. The SSA receives over $300 million in federal funding each yearapproximately
14 40% of its budgetto support these essential safety-net services. Nearly all of the Countys SSA
15 funding is reimbursement-based, requiring the County to front the money necessary to provide
16 services to its residents now based on the federal governments promise to reimburse the County
17 later.
18 34. The County relies on these federal funds to provide critical social services to its
19 neediest residentsincluding child welfare services, in-home care and nutrition services for the
21 because a substantial amount of SSAs federal funding pays for service providers, cutting those
22 funds would threaten the jobs of approximately 23,000 workers who perform social work, home
25 35. The Countys Behavioral Health Services Department provides essential services
26 to residents struggling with mental illness and substance abuse. It offers a broad range of services
27 including mental health urgent care, crisis intervention, housing and support services, psychiatric
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1 services, residential treatment programs, substance abuse treatment and services, jail diversion
3 36. The Behavioral Health Services Department receives approximately $131 million
4 in direct federal funding annually, accounting for over 30% of its operating budget.
5 37. Without this federal funding, the County would be forced to drastically reduce the
6 quantity and quality of behavioral health services it provides, and would be forced to significantly
7 cut staff. In turn, residents would lose access to critical behavioral health services, making them
11 38. The Countys Public Health Department protects and promotes the health of the
12 Countys residents through programs to identify, treat, and stop the spread of communicable and
13 potentially lethal diseases; to provide disease and injury prevention; to offer immunizations for
14 children and travelers; and to provide health education. The fifteen cities within the County lack
15 their own public health departments and depend entirely on the Countys Public Health
17 39. Federal funds comprise approximately $40 million of the Public Health
19 40. The loss of federal funds would have a devastating impact on the Countys ability
20 to continue providing core public health services for the communities most in need. The County
21 depends on these federal funds to support, among other things: the prevention of communicable
22 diseases; maternal, child, and adolescent health care; food benefits, breastfeeding support, and
23 nutrition education for low-income mothers and their children; medical care for uninsured and
24 underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS; services for severely disabled children with
25 chronic diseases; immunization support and vaccination services for children and schools; and
26 programs to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies and potential terrorism.
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1 41. The Countys Office of Emergency Services (OES) is responsible for facilitating
2 the Countys preparation for, response to, and recovery from disasters of all typesfrom severe
3 weather events to terrorism to major earthquakes. Among its responsibilities, OES provides
4 emergency management training exercises; engages in region-wide hazard planning; operates the
5 Santa Clara County Emergency Operations Center during emergency incidents; and coordinates
7 42. For fiscal year 2016, OES has been awarded more than $5 million in federal
8 funding, representing almost two-thirds of its budget. All of this funding is provided by the
9 federal government on a reimbursement basis, with several million in grant funding currently
10 outstandingi.e., the funds have been awarded by the federal government, but the County has
12 43. These federal funds are critical to keeping the local community safe during natural
13 disasters, man-made emergencies, acts of terrorism, and other large-scale catastrophic events.
14 Furthermore, these funds are essential to the Countys community- and region-wide emergency
17 44. Despite their broad reach, the funding streams described above represent only a
18 fraction of the Countys federal funding sources. Numerous other County departments and
19 agencies rely on federal funding to provide essential health, safety, and welfare services to the
20 community, including the Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of
21 Supportive Housing, the Roads and Airports Department, the Facilities and Fleet Department, the
22 Department of Child Support Services, the Probation Department, the Sheriffs Office, the
23 Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Office of the County Executive.
24 45. Without federal funding, these departments and agencies would have to roll back
25 their support of programs that comprise the very fabric of the community, including housing and
26 community development, housing stability and supportive services for the chronically homeless,
27 highway planning and construction, water quality improvement, agricultural pest management,
28 child support, juvenile justice, security and intelligence initiatives, and multifaceted crime
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1 prevention. It is a near certainty that the Countys federal funding touches each and every one of
3 3. The County must make budgetary decisions today for future services.
4 46. Each year, as required by the County Charter, the County Executive develops a
5 recommended budget for approval by the Board of Supervisors. To develop that budget, County
6 staff carefully analyzes and weighs a multitude of factors including anticipated revenues, specific
7 service needs for diverse subsets of County residents, salary and benefits costs for the Countys
9 47. The County is currently in the process of formulating its budget for the fiscal year
11 48. Reliable access to federal funding plays a critical role in the Countys budgeting
12 process. The County receives federal funds in several different forms. For example, many of the
13 federal funds the County receives are provided as reimbursements, under which the County first
14 expends its own funds, and later seeks partial or complete reimbursement from the federal
15 government. Other federal revenues are provided on a fee-for-service basis, under which the
16 County must expend its own resources to deliver services, and then subsequently seek fee-based
17 payments from the federal government. Still other federal funds are provided to the County in the
18 form of direct, upfront grants. The County receives all federal funding either directly from the
19 federal government, or passed through the State of California or other government entities.
20 49. The Executive Order has thrown the Countys budget process into chaos, as the
21 County suddenly faces the possibility that more than $1 billion of its anticipated revenues could
22 disappear at the executive branchs whim. The Countys contingency reserve is approximately
23 $130 million, so there is no means by which the County could possibly absorb the resulting
24 shortfall. Because the Countys federally funded programs operate continuously, the County
25 must decide whether to continue incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in costs that may never
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3 50. The County is responsible for operating numerous criminal justice agencies,
4 including the County Sheriffs Office, Department of Correction, District Attorneys Office,
5 Public Defenders Office, Probation Department, and Office of Pretrial Services. These agencies
6 investigate and prosecute crimes; provide criminal defense to indigent defendants; provide
7 services to arrestees during the pretrial phase as well as post-sentencing to reduce flight and
8 recidivism; and ensure the safety and security of all residents of the County, including those in
9 custody in the County jail system, which is the fifth largest in California.
10 51. As part of their responsibility to apprehend and detain those suspected or
11 convicted of committing criminal offenses, the County Sheriffs Office and Department of
12 Correction have had significant experience with ICE civil detainer requests and other
13 immigration enforcement mandates.
14 52. An ICE civil detainer request asks a local law enforcement agency to continue to
15 detain an immigrant inmatewho is generally being held in a local jail for violations or
16 suspected violations of state criminal lawsfor up to 48 additional hours after his or her regularly
17 scheduled release date so that ICE can decide whether to take the individual into custody and
18 initiate removal proceedings.
19 53. Prior to late 2011, the County Sheriffs Office and Department of Correction
20 regularly responded to ICE civil detainer requests and other inquiries from federal immigration
21 officials. As a result of ICE civil detainer request, during this period, the County was holding on
22 average 135 additional inmates at a time, at a daily cost of $159 per person.
23 54. In a public exchange of letters from August through October 2010, then-County
24 Counsel Miguel Mrquez asked ICE to clarify, among other things, (i) whether ICE viewed
25 detainer compliance as compulsory, and (ii) whether the federal government would indemnify
26 and reimburse the County for the costs associated with civil detainer requests. ICE responded
27 that detainers are requests, but that ICE would neither reimburse detention costs nor indemnify
28 localities for any liability arising from responding to detainer requests.
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1 55. Over the next several months, a task force convened by the County Board of
2 Supervisors, and comprised of officials from each of the County criminal justice agencies listed
3 above, carefully reviewed the Countys history of compliance with ICE detainer requests, placing
4 special focus on the impact on public safety in the community. The task force determined that a
5 tailored approach of honoring ICE detainer requests only for individuals with serious or violent
6 felony convictions, as defined under California law, would best protect public safety in the
7 County.
8 56. When the Board of Supervisors formally adopted this position in the County Civil
9 Detainer Policy in October 2011, it also included a provision stating that the County would honor
10 ICE detainer requests for individuals with the requisite convictions only if ICE would enter into a
11 prior written agreement by which all costs incurred by the [C]ounty in complying with the ICE
12 detainer shall be reimbursed. To date, ICE has refused to enter into a reimbursement agreement
13 with the County, so the County has not honored any detainer requests since October 2011.
14 Although the precise scope and meaning of the undefined term sanctuary jurisdictions is
15 unknown and the executive branchs discretion to declare a state or local government to be such a
16 jurisdiction is boundless, the County reasonably anticipates that its practices would place it on the
17 Department of Homeland Securitys weekly list of jurisdictions that ignored or otherwise failed
20 affirming the separation between County services and the enforcement of federal civil
21 immigration law. The Resolution prohibits County employees, including law enforcement
22 officers, from initiating an inquiry or enforcement action based solely on an individuals actual or
24 prohibits the use of County funds or resources to investigate, question, apprehend, or arrest an
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1 ICE for purposes of federal immigration enforcement information collected by the County in the
3
2 course of providing critical social services.
4 were specifically designed to advance public safety. County law enforcement officials rely on
5 members of the local communityincluding those who lack lawful immigration statusto report
6 crimes, come forward as witnesses, aid in apprehending individuals with bench warrants, and
8 59. When local law enforcement officers are perceived as immigration enforcers, the
9 result is a dangerous chilling effect on trust and cooperation from the community. Individuals are
10 less likely to seek police officers help for fear of being questioned about their immigration status.
11 Crimes go unreported. Victims and witnesses are hesitant to offer testimony. And communities
12 are less safe. The view that involving local officials in federal immigration enforcement
13 undermines public safety is not unique to the County of Santa Clara. Indeed, local law
15 60. The Executive Order wrongly suggests that only maximum cooperation with
16 federal immigration enforcement priorities by local law enforcement agencies can protect public
17 safety. In fact, forcing local governments such as the County to engage in immigration
18 enforcementwhether by requiring them to honor ICE civil detainer requests or, more broadly,
19 by compelling them to act as federal immigration officersdrives a wedge between local law
20 enforcement officers and the communities they serve and protect, undercutting law enforcements
22 61. Compelling the County to engage in immigration enforcement also threatens the
23 Countys fiscal stability. First, civil detainer requests impose significant costs that the federal
24 3
Starting in 2016, two federal grant programs in which the County had participatedthe State
25 Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) and Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance
Grant (JAG)required the County to certify its compliance with all applicable federal laws.
26 On July 7, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice issued guidance explaining that 8 U.S.C. 1373,
which relates to sharing of immigration status information, is now considered an applicable
27 federal law for purposes of SCAAP and JAG funds, and that state and local governments with
any restrictions on information-sharing with ICE would be viewed as noncompliant. To retain its
28 discretion, the County decided in October 2016 not to apply for or accept future SCAAP or JAG
funds from the federal government.
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1 government refuses to reimburse. Although a civil detainer request formally asks a local law
2 enforcement agency to maintain custody of an individual for an additional 48 hours beyond when
3 he or she would otherwise be released, individuals subject to civil detainers typically are held for
4 much longer than they would absent the detainerlargely because the existence of a detainer
5 request makes an individual highly unlikely to be offered a bail bond to facilitate his or her
6 release from custody pending trial. The costs associated with compliance with ICE detainer
7 requests can quickly skyrocket, diverting County resources away from critical public safety
9 62. Second, honoring civil detainer requests would expose the County to substantial
10 liability for constitutional violations. Federal courts around the country have held that honoring
11 ICE civil detainer requests exposes local law enforcement agencies to liability under the Fourth
12 Amendment. E.g., Morales v. Chadbourne, 793 F.3d 208, 215-16 (1st Cir. 2015); Miranda-
13 Olivares v. Clackamas County, No. 3:12-cv-02317-ST, 2014 WL 1414305, at *11-12 (D. Or.
14 Apr. 11, 2014). The federal government has made clear that it will not indemnify local law
15 enforcement agencies against constitutional claims, even when they arise directly out of actions
17 63. In addition, the County is currently a defendant in a class action lawsuit alleging
18 Eight and Fourteenth Amendment violations relating to significant overcrowding in the County
19 jails. Substantially increasing the jail population by honoring ICE detainers would directly and
21 64. Even if the County rescinded its policies governing local participation in federal
22 immigration enforcement, as the Executive Order seeks to compel, the County would still be
23 required to comply with state laws that also significantly constrain its participation in federal
25 Tools (TRUST) Act, Cal. Gov. Code 7282.5, permits local law enforcement agencies to honor
26 ICE detainer requests only with respect to individuals in their custody who have specific prior
27 criminal convictions or criminal charges as to which a judge has made a finding of probable
28 cause. Moreover, the pending California Values Act, Senate Bill 54, would (a) prohibit state
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1 and local law enforcement agencies and school police from using public resources to investigate,
2 interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest anyone solely for immigration enforcement purposes, and (b)
3 require state agencies to ensure that information collected from individuals in the course of
4 service delivery is limited to that necessary to provide services and is not used or disclosed for
7 Inspector General (OIG) relating to 8 U.S.C. 1373, the OIG called out the entire State of
8 California as a jurisdiction that does not fully comply with federal immigration enforcement
4
9 priorities. Because much of the Countys federal funding is passed through agencies of the State
10 of California, these active questions about the continuation of federal funding streams to the State
16 entitled Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States. That Executive Order was
17 published in the Federal Register on January 30, 2017, at Vol. 82, No. 18. It is available on the
19 office/2017/01/25/Presidential-executive-order-enhancing-public-safety-interior-united), and is
21 67. The Executive Order represents a gross overreach of executive power. This power
22 grab comes at the expense of powers constitutionally vested in the Congress, as well as state and
23 local governments.
24 68. Section 1 of the Executive Order announces the orders [p]urpose. Executive
25 Order, Sec. 1 at 8799. It declares that Sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States willfully
26
4
27 Memorandum from Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector Gen., to Karol V. Mason, Assistant Atty
Gen. for the Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice Referral of Allegations of
28 Potential Violations of 8 U.S.C. 1373 by Grant Recipients, at 13 (May 31, 2016),
https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2016/1607.pdf (Horowitz Memo).
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1 violate Federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States. These
2 jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our
3 Republic. Id.
4 69. Section 2 of the Executive Order sets forth the policy of the executive branch.
5 Id. Sec. 2 at 8799. It describes that policy as, among other things, [e]nsur[ing] that jurisdictions
6 that fail to comply with applicable Federal law do not receive Federal funds, except as mandated
8 70. Section 3 of the Executive Order is titled Definitions, but contains no specific
9 definitions applicable to the order. Id. Sec. 3 at 8799. Instead, it states that the terms of this
10 order, where applicable, shall have the meaning provided by 8 U.S.C. 1101. Id.
11 71. In a sharp break with past practice, Section 5 of the Executive Order expands the
12 federal governments immigration enforcement priorities well beyond any threshold needed to
13 protect public safety. Section 5 calls upon the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize
14 for removal those aliens who are removable on a large number of grounds, including that they:
16 ii) have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense even if
22 72. These vague categories sweep in millions of individuals who have not been
23 convicted of any criminal offense, let alone a serious or violent one. For example, acts that
24 constitute a chargeable criminal offense could include a wide range of ordinary and
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1 73. Section 6 of the Executive Order is equally vague and subject to arbitrary and
2 discriminatory enforcement. Section 6 purports to impose fines and penalties upon not only
3 aliens unlawfully present in the United States, but also upon those who facilitate their
4 presence in the United States. Executive Order, Sec. 6 at 8800 (emphasis added). This
5 undefined phrase could result in attempts by the executive branch to impose penalties upon
6 County employees who provide essential or even lifesaving services to immigrants who are
7 unlawfully present; their friends and family members; churches and other religious organizations
8 that assist them; landlords, co-workers, or employers; or even attorneys who represent them in
9 immigration proceedings.
10
2. Section 9 of the Executive Order purports to vest the President with
11 legislative powers that even Congress does not lawfully possess.
12 74. Section 9 of the Executive Order concerns the so-called Sanctuary Jurisdictions
13 that are the subject of the order, as noted in Section 1. The Executive Order includes no clear
15 75. Section 9(a) purports to vest executive branch officials with broad authority and
16 unlimited, unreviewable discretion to deny federal funds to whichever jurisdictions they deem to
17 be Sanctuary Jurisdictions, and to take unspecified enforcement action against them. It begins
18 with an unconstitutional provision allowing the executive branch to strip federal funding from
20 [T]he Attorney General and the Secretary [of Homeland Security], in their
discretion and to the extent consistent with law, shall ensure that jurisdictions that
21 willfully refuse to comply with 8 U.S.C. 1373 (sanctuary jurisdictions) are not
eligible to receive Federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement
22 purposes by the Attorney General or the Secretary. The Secretary has the authority
to designate, in his discretion and to the extent consistent with law, a jurisdiction
23 as a sanctuary jurisdiction.
24 Executive Order, Sec. 9(a) at 8801 (the Defunding Provision).
25 76. The Defunding Provision places entirely new and amorphous conditions on
26 jurisdictions, like the County, which rely on federal funds to provide services to their residents.
27 Under the Executive Order, if the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security
28 determine (in their unbounded discretion) that a jurisdiction is willfully refus[ing] to comply
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1 with 8 U.S.C. 1373, then those jurisdictions will be rendered not eligible to receive Federal
5
2 grants. Id.
3 77. Section 1373 provides, inter alia, that local governments may not prohibit or
4 restrict any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration
5 and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status . . . of any
6 individual. 8 U.S.C. 1373(a). It further forbids any person or agency from prohibiting or
7 restricting any government entity from sending, maintaining, or exchanging such information
6
8 with federal immigration officials. Id. 1373(b).
10 local government may review, challenge, or even receive notice regarding its designation as a
11 sanctuary jurisdiction.
12 79. The Defunding Provision makes no mention of any statutory authority for the new
14 Congressional action whatsoever. Rather, it grants the power to impose the new conditionsas
15 well as to determine if those conditions have been met and to deny funding on that basissolely
17 80. The Defunding Provision is incredibly broad. On its face, it appears to apply to
18 existing and expected federal funds. It makes no distinction between block grants provided to
20 expenditures, funds disbursed under a fee-for-service model, or funds provided to state and local
22 81. Section 9(c) of the Executive Order makes clear that the Defunding Provision is
23 intended to apply to all federal funds. Section 9(c) orders the Director of the Office of
24 5
Because the phrase Federal grant is nowhere defined in the Executive Order, the County must
interpret that phrase to apply to all federal funds, whatever their source. This interpretation is
25 consistent with the Presidents statements regarding his desire to cut off taxpayer funds to state
and local governments he considers to be sanctuary jurisdictions. See infra 9195.
26 6
The federal government has expanded on its view of what Section 1373 requires through
27 various memoranda and guidance documents. See, e.g., Horowitz Memo; Office of Justice
Programs, Guidance Regarding Compliance with 8 U.S.C. 1373, U.S. Dept of Justice (July 7,
28 2016); Office of Justice Programs, Additional Guidance Regarding Compliance with 8 U.S.C.
1373, U.S. Dept Just. (October 6, 2016).
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1 Management and Budget to obtain and provide relevant and responsive information on all
2 Federal grant money that currently is received by any sanctuary jurisdiction. Executive Order,
3 Sec. 9(c) at 8801 (emphasis added). On its face, the order targets all federal funds, whatever
4 their source, and includes funds that affected jurisdictionsincluding the Countyhave
5 currently received. Id. It is therefore unbounded in both scope and time. Furthermore, the
6 notion that the federal government may, pursuant to this order, attack County funds retroactively
7 is no hypothetical scenario. For each type of funding the County receives, the federal government
9 82. By executive fiat, the Defunding Provision imposes new funding conditions that
10 Congress could not constitutionally have imposed. The Defunding Provision applies to all
11 Federal grants, regardless of whether those grants have any connection, relation, or nexus to
12 immigration. Executive Order, Sec. 9(a) at 8801. Such an untethered condition far exceeds
14 83. The order provides a mechanism by which certain monies deemed necessary for
15 law enforcement purposes may be exempted from the blanket Defunding Provision. Id. That
16 exemption gets the law exactly backwards, because funds related to law enforcement bear at least
17 some connection to compliance with 8 U.S.C. 1373, and are arguably the only funds that
18 Congress could conceivably have tied to such compliance in a constitutional manner. See S.
19 1640, 114th Cong. 114(d) (2015); H.R. 1148, 114th Cong. 114(d) (2015). But Congress has
20 never imposed any such restriction, and in fact has specifically considered and rejected similar
22 84. By threatening all of a jurisdictions federal funding, the Defunding Provision goes
23 beyond encouragement and becomes unduly coercive. It is, in effect, a gun to the head. Natl
24 Fedn of Indep. Bus. v. Sebelius (NFIB), 132 S. Ct. 2566, 2604 (2012). The point of the threat
25 is to compel each affected jurisdiction to adopt a federal regulatory system as its own, which is
27 85. The new spending conditions are also constitutionally infirm. Section 1373 itself
28 raises a host of constitutional issues, particularly under the Tenth Amendment. And to the extent
20
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1 that the executive branch determines that compliance with 8 U.S.C. 1373 requires jurisdictions
2 to detain individuals who would otherwise be released from custody, the Executive Order forces
3 jurisdictions to violate the Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights of individuals
4 within those jurisdictions, thereby risking civil liability, including personal liability against
6 86. The Executive Order not only claims the power to strip affected jurisdictions of the
7 federal funding they rely on to govern, but also promises unspecified enforcement action against
8 those jurisdictions:
9 The Attorney General shall take appropriate enforcement action against any entity
that violates 8 U.S.C. 1373, or which has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that
10 prevents or hinders the enforcement of Federal law.
11 Executive Order, Sec. 9(a) at 8801 (the Enforcement Provision).
12 87. Like the Defunding Provision, the Enforcement Provision is both extremely broad
13 and entirely vague in its wording. It promises enforcement action against any jurisdiction that
14 prevents or hinders the enforcement of Federal law. Id. By its terms, this provision applies to
15 all federal lawall 54 titles of the U.S. Code, and presumably the entire Code of Federal
16 Regulations to boot. Nor is it limited to violations of federal law; it targets any jurisdiction that
17 has a statute, policy, or practice that simply hinders enforcement of those laws. The
18 Enforcement Provision does not define what hinders means, vesting entirely in the executive
19 branch the power to make that determination and offering no judicial review or other recourse to
21 88. Taken at face value, the Enforcement Provision reworks the entire structure of our
22 federal republic, granting the federal executive branch untrammeled discretion to punish state and
23 local governments for taking any actionor simply having a policy or practicethat the federal
24 government finds inconvenient. The Enforcement Provision thus violates the anti-
25 commandeering aspect of the Tenth Amendment, as well as federalism principles more generally.
26 89. The Executive Order makes no attempt to ground the vast new authority it seizes
27 for the executive branch in any specific constitutional or statutory authority. The only sources of
28 authority President Trump has claimed for the sweeping and unprecedented order are the
21
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1 authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America,
2 including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), as well as Article
3 II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution and section 3331 of title 5, United States Code.
5 90. None of these cited provisions grants the President any of the powers he has taken
6 for his own. Justifying itself by reference to the authority vested in the President by the
7 Constitution and federal law, the Executive Order begs the question of whether the President has
8 such authority in the first place. The INA says nothing about withdrawing or restricting federal
9 funds from jurisdictions that fail to comply with 8 U.S.C. 1373, or imposing appropriate
10 enforcement action against certain jurisdictions. Indeed, the phrase sanctuary jurisdiction is
11 found nowhere in the Act. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution is the Take Care clause,
12 which by its terms requires the President to follow and execute the law Congress enacted, not to
13 seize legislative power for himself. That clause has never been interpreted to allow the power
14 grab the President is attempting here. And 5 U.S.C. 3331 is the oath of office every federal
15 officialexcept the Presidenttakes when appointed to a federal office. The oath provides no
17
3. The Presidents and his subordinates statements reveal the Executive
18 Orders unconstitutionally broad scope.
19 91. The Executive Order contains a few vague caveats indicating that it will, in part,
20 be applied to the extent consistent with law (a caveat noticeably absent from the Enforcement
21 Provision). See Executive Order, Sec. 9 at 8801. But the Presidents and his subordinates own
22 statements belie that blithe assurance. On the contrary, there is no indication that the executive
23 branch understands, respects, or has any intention to interpret or enforce the Executive Order
26 administrationreveal that the executive branch intends the Executive Order to go far beyond
27 current law. Indeed, the President has repeatedly promised, both on the campaign trail and once
28 elected, that his goal is not to use the spending power (which is not his, in any event) to
22
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1 encourage jurisdictions to cooperate with his federal immigration program. Rather, he proposes
2 to deny all federal funding to jurisdictions he believes are failing to comply with federal
4 however implemented.
5 93. The Presidents and his aides statements unambiguously point to a broad, and
8 on Immigration, which included a heading entitled Block Funding for Sanctuary Cities.
9 Donald J. Trump: Address on Immigration, Donald J. Trump for President (Aug. 31, 2016),
10 https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-address-on-immigration. Mr.
11 Trump stated, We will end the Sanctuary Cities that have resulted in so many needless deaths.
12 Cities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars, and we
13 will work with Congress to pass legislation to protect those jurisdictions that do assist federal
15 ii) On January 25, 2017the day on which the President issued the Executive
16 Orderthe Presidents press secretary, Sean Spicer, made clear that the order targets all federal
17 funding: We are going to strip federal grant money from the sanctuary states and cities that
18 harbor illegal immigrants. The American people are no longer going to have to be forced to
19 subsidize this disregard for our laws. White House, 1/25/17: White House Press Briefing,
22 iii) On January 26, 2016, President Trump reiterated his plan to target
23 sanctuary jurisdictions during remarks at the Congressional Republican Retreat: And finally, at
24 long last, cracking down on sanctuary cities. Its time to restore the civil rights of Americans, to
25 protect their jobs, their hopes and their dreams for a much better future. Donald J. Trump,
26 President Trump Remarks at Congressional Republican Retreat, C-Span (Jan. 26, 2017),
27 https://www.c-span.org/video/?422829-1/President-trump-tells-congressional-republicans-now-
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1 iv) On January 28, 2017, the White House issued a press release stating,
2 President Trump signed an executive order to ensure that immigration laws are enforced
3 throughout the United States, including halting federal funding for sanctuary cities. Press
4 Release, The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, President Trumps First Week of Action
7 v) That same day, the President stated, Here are just a few of the executive
8 actions that I have taken in the last few days . . . . An order to immediately begin the border wall
9 and to crack down on sanctuary cities. They are not safe, we have to take care of that horrible
10 situation. Press Release, The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, President Trumps
13 vi) The White Houses public website likewise states that President Trump is
14 dedicated to enforcing our border laws, ending sanctuary cities, and stemming the tide of
15 lawlessness associated with illegal immigration. The White House, Standing Up For Our Law
18 vii) Mr. Spicer, the Presidents press secretary, reiterated this goal on February
19 1, 2017, stating in a press briefing, I think the Presidents goal in ending sanctuary cities is
20 pretty clear. . . . [T]he President has been very clear through his executive order that federal
21 funds, paid for by hardworking taxpayers, should not be used to help fund sanctuary cities.
22 Press Release, The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Press Briefing by Press Secretary
25 94. The Executive Order itself confirms the sweeping scope outlined by the President
26 and his aides. It cannot refer merely to existing executive power to limit spending; if that is all
27 the order accomplishes, then it is superfluous. There would be no need to order what the
24
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1 95. In addition to comments regarding the Executive Order, the Presidents more
2 recent statements reveal a complete lack of understanding of, and respect for, the boundaries
3 between executive and legislative powers. For example, commenting on reports of violent
4 protests at U.C. Berkeley in response to a planned speaking event, the President tweeted, If U.C.
5 Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different
6 point of view NO FEDERAL FUNDS? @realDonaldTrump, Twitter (Feb. 2, 2017, 3:13 AM),
8 The President seems to hold the misimpression that the executive branch controls the power of
9 the purse, and that he can simply turn off the federal funding spigot to states, local governments,
10 and other publicly funded entities he disfavors. The Founders drafted and designed our
12
C. Congress Considered and Rejected Conditioning Federal Law Enforcement
13 Funds on Compliance with Section 1373.
14 96. The Executive Order not only claims legislative power in excess of what the
15 Constitution grants to Congress, but it also represents an attempt to enact a policy that Congress
16 has already expressly considered and rejected. In fact, one of the individuals who will likely be
17 tasked with implementing and enforcing the Executive Order is the same person who tried and
18 failed to persuade Congress to enact the policy the executive branch is now imposing by dictate:
19 Jeff Sessions.
20 97. On June 22, 2015, Senator Jeff Sessionsnow the Presidents nominee for
21 Attorney General of the United Statesintroduced a bill in the United States Senate. The bill, S.
22 1640, is entitled the Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law
23 Enforcement Act, and is attached hereto as Exhibit B. Senator Sessionss bill sought to tie
24 certain federal funds to compliance with 8 U.S.C. 1373. S. 1640, 114th Cong. (2015). That is
26 98. Only seven Senators co-sponsored Mr. Sessionss bill, which died in the Senate
27 Judiciary Committee.
28
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1 99. Senator Sessionss bill had a counterpart in the United States House of
2 Representatives. There, U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy introduced H.R. 1148, entitled the
3 Michael Davis, Jr. in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act. H.R. 1148, 114th
4 Cong. (2015). The House bill is attached hereto as Exhibit C. Only 50 House Members co-
5 sponsored Mr. Gowdys bill, which was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee, but
6 languished in the Committee on Homeland Security. It never received a vote on the floor of the
7 House.
8 100. Senator Sessionss unsuccessful legislation, as well as its companion bill in the
9 House, was a narrower version of the sweeping Executive Order the President issued after
10 nominating Mr. Sessions to be his Attorney General. Its declared purpose was to amend the
11 Immigration and Nationality Act to improve immigration law enforcement within the interior of
12 the United States. S. 1640, 114th Cong. (2015). Section 114 of the bill, entitled, State
14 that is strikingly similar to the Executive Order Mr. Sessions will enforce if he is confirmed as the
16 (d) Compliance.
17 (1) IN GENERAL.A State, or a political subdivision of a State, that has
in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits law enforcement
18 officers of the State, or of a political subdivision of the State, from assisting
or cooperating with Federal immigration law enforcement in the course of
19 carrying out the officers routine law enforcement duties shall not be
eligible to receive
20
(A) any of the funds that would otherwise be allocated to the State
21 or political subdivision under section 241(i) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1231(i)) or the Cops on the Beat
22 program under part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd et seq.); or
23
(B) any other law enforcement or Department of Homeland
24 Security grant.
25 (2) ANNUAL DETERMINATION.The Secretary shall determine
annually which State or political subdivision of a State are not in
26 compliance with this section and shall report such determinations to
Congress on March 1 of each year.
27
(3) REPORTS.The Attorney General shall issue a report concerning the
28 compliance of any particular State or political subdivision at the request of
the House or Senate Judiciary Committee. Any jurisdiction that is found to
26
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5 101. Shortly after introducing his bill in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Sessions issued a press
6 release calling on Congress to pass a law restricting federal funds to sanctuary citiesthe very
7 authority the President now claims as his own. Senator Sessions said: I am calling today on
8 Congress to make its first item of business the immediate passage of legislation to cut off
9 relevant federal monies to sanctuary cities. News Release, Office of Senator Jeff Sessions,
10 Senator Sessions Calls on Congress to Take Up Immigration Reform for Americans (July 9,
11 2015), http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2015/7/senator-sessions-calls-on-
13 102. Two aspects of Senator Sessionss statement bear emphasizing, and each of them
14 demonstrates the unconstitutionality of the Executive Order Mr. Sessions will be charged with
16 that current law does not allow funds to be cut off from sanctuary jurisdictions. As Senator
17 Sessions understood, new legislation would be needed to accomplish that objective. Second,
18 Senator Sessions is recognizing that only relevant federal monies may be conditioned on
19 compliance with certain immigration laws. Id. (emphasis added). Senator Sessions did not call
20 on Congress to render sanctuary jurisdictions ineligible from receiving all federal grants, whether
21 or not those grants were germane to immigration or law enforcement, because such a law would
22 be patently unconstitutional.
23 103. Despite Senator Sessionss exhortation, Congress never enacted his proposed bill,
24 which would have cut off certain federal funding to state and local governments deemed
25 insufficiently compliant with federal immigration directives. In fact, the precise opposite is true:
26
27
7
28 The companion House bill, H.R. 1148, contained an identical provision. See H.R. 1148, 114th
Cong. 114(d) (2015).
27
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1 both houses of Congress have independently and expressly considered and rejected the policy that
2 the President and Mr. Sessions now claim for the executive branch by fiat.
3 104. The similarities between Senator Sessionss failed bill and the Executive Order are
8
4 striking, and likely not coincidental. The two documents share common phrases nearly
5 verbatim, targeting any jurisdiction that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that the
6 federal government finds problematic. They both declare that such jurisdictions shall not be
7 eligible to receive federal funds. And they both vest in the Secretary of Homeland Security the
8 ability to designate certain jurisdictions as noncompliant. They also both contemplate the
9 Attorney General publishing a report listing jurisdictions that the Attorney General has deemed
10 noncompliant.
11 105. The differences between the failed bill and the Executive Order are also telling.
12 The bill appears to have made at least some effort to conform to constitutional limitations on
13 Congresss spending power. For example, the bill tied only certain law-enforcement-related
14 funds to the proposed funding condition, signaling out Cops on the Beat funds, and other law
16 B). That limitation stands in stark contrast to the Executive Order, which renders affected
17 jurisdictions ineligible to receive all Federal grants. Executive Order, Sec. 9(a) at 8801. The
18 failed bill also vested the Secretary of Homeland Security with primary authority for
19 implementing the legislation. By contrast, the Executive Order vests the Attorney General
20 presumably Mr. Sessionsas well as the Secretary with ensuring fund ineligibility. Id.
21 106. The Presidents attempt to secure by executive fiat what Senator Sessions failed to
22 win through the legislative process violates the separation of powers principles that undergird our
23
8
24 Media reports confirm that Senator Sessions played a prominent role in the executive orders that
the President issued during his first week in office. One article states that Senator Sessions was
25 the intellectual godfather of Mr. Trumps executive orders, and that his longtime chief of staff,
along with one of his mentees, drafted the orders. See Philip Rucker & Robert Costa, Trumps
26 Hard-Line Actions Have an Intellectual Godfather: Jeff Sessions, Wash. Post, Jan. 30, 2017.
Indeed, administration officials have stated that Senator Sessions helped devise the Presidents
27 first-week strategy, in which Trump signed a blizzard of executive orders that begin to fulfill his
signature campaign promises although Sessions had advocated going even faster. Id.
28 According to the reports, Senator Sessions lobbied for a shock-and-awe period of executive
action that would rattle Congress, impress Trumps base and catch his critics unaware. Id.
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2 When the President takes measures incompatible with the expressed or implied will of Congress,
3 his power is at its lowest ebb, for then he can rely only upon his own constitutional powers minus
4 any constitutional powers of Congress over the matter. 343 U.S. at 637 (Jackson, J.,
5 concurring). In issuing the Executive Order, the President operated at his lowest ebb of power,
6 since Congress had already expressed its will by considering and rejecting the very powers the
11 108. The County has suffered an injury-in-fact. As set forth above, the County receives
12 approximately $1 billion in federal funding per year, which amounts to more than 15% of its total
13 budget. The Executive Order purports to strip away all of this federal funding, decimating the
14 Countys ability to provide basic services to its residents. The loss of funds promised under
15 federal law is a quintessential economic injury that satisfies Article IIIs standing requirement.
16 See Organized Vill. of Kake v. U.S. Dept of Agric., 795 F.3d 956, 965 (9th Cir. 2015) (en banc),
17 cert. denied sub nom. Alaska v. Organized Vill. of Kake, Alaska, 136 S. Ct. 1509 (2016).
18 109. Furthermore, the Executive Order applies to, and purportedly would bar the
19 County from receiving, federal funds to reimburse the County for established programs and
20 services that the County is currently providing, and for which Congress has already approved
21 funding. The County is an eligible recipient of, expects to receive, and has made budgeting,
22 programming, and hiring decisions based on these prior congressional funding decisions. Now,
23 the Executive Order purports to require retroactive imposition of the condition that municipalities
24 comply with federal immigration provisions to already-approved funds. This is precisely the sort
25 of substantial contingent liability that confers standing because it immediately and directly
26 affects the borrowing power, financial strength, and fiscal planning of the County. See Clinton
28
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1 110. The Countys injuries are actual or imminent. Susan B. Anthony List v.
2 Driehaus, 134 S. Ct. 2334, 2341 (2014) (quotations omitted). The County has already suffered
3 harm as a result of the Executive Order, and its injuries will only continue to grow unless the
4 Executive Order is declared unlawful and its implementation enjoined. Indeed, the Executive
5 Order has thrown the Countys ongoing budgeting process into chaos, forcing the County to
6 choose whether to continue incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in costs that may never be
7 reimbursed or discontinue providing basic safety-net services to its most vulnerable residents.
8 And, because the Countys federally funded programs operate continuously, the County is
9 currently spending millions of dollars that may never be reimbursed by the federal government
11 111. Furthermore, Defendants have made clear that their express purpose in adopting
12 the Executive Order is to [h]alt federal funding for, strip federal grant money from, and
13 crack down on municipalities, like the County of Santa Clara, which do not comply with
14 federal directives, as purportedly required by the Executive Order. See supra 9195.
15 112. Given the Countys policies described above, and Defendants repeated threats to
16 pull federal funding from jurisdictions that refuse to carry out the commands of federal
17 immigration officials, there is a credible threat that Defendants will seek to enforce the
18 unconstitutional Executive Order against the County. See Susan B. Anthony List, 134 S. Ct. at
19 2342 (collecting cases). The County is not required to expose [itself] to liability before bringing
20 suit to challenge the basis for [Defendants] threat. MedImmune, Inc. v. Genentech, Inc., 549
22 113. The Countys injuries are fairly traceable to the challenged actionin fact, they
23 are directly caused by the Executive Order. Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Envtl. Servs.,
24 Inc., 528 U.S. 167, 180 (2000). But for the Executive Order, the County would continue to receive
25 federal funds for programs and services that it currently provides, and would be able to make
26 budgeting and programming decisions without the threat that its federal funds will disappear.
27 114. The Court can redress the Countys injuries by declaring the Executive Order
30
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1 115. The issues in this case are fit for judicial decision. The Executive Order is final
2 and the Countys challenge to that Order presents legal issues that will not be clarified by further
3 factual development. Susan B. Anthony List, 134 S. Ct. at 2347 (quotations omitted).
4 116. Postponing judicial review would impose a significant hardship on the County.
5 Requiring the County to proceed without knowing whether the [Executive Order] is valid would
6 impose a palpable and considerable hardship by forcing the County to decide now whether to
7 continue providing essential safety-net services to its residents, without knowing that it will
8 recoup the promised federal funding. Thomas v. Union Carbide Agric. Prod. Co., 473 U.S. 568,
9 581 (1985) (quoting Pac. Gas & Elec. Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation and
11 117. In light of this substantial and imminent constitutional injury, the County is left
12 with no choice but to seek immediate judicial relief, including a preliminary and permanent
13 injunction.
31
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1 121. Article I of the Constitution vests the federal governments spending power
2 exclusively in Congress. See U.S. Const. art. I, 8, cl. 1. By contrast, nothing in the
3 Constitutions text, or in more than two centuries of judicial decisions interpreting the
4 Constitution, purports to confer on the President or the executive branch any power either to
5 dictate government spending or to place conditions or limits on the spending power that is vested
7 122. Although the Constitution vests the spending power exclusively in Congress, it
8 does not confer unlimited discretion on the legislative branch when that branch seeks to place
9 conditions on federal spending directed to states and local governments. As the Supreme Court
10 held in South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203, 207 (1987), [t]he spending power is of course not
11 unlimited. In its Dole decision, the Court identified and explained particular limits on
12 Congresss power to spend. Subsequent cases have given further definition to those limits.
13 123. First, as the words of the Constitution make clear, any exercise of the spending
14 power must be in pursuit of the general welfare. Dole, 483 U.S. at 207.
15 124. Second, if Congress wishes to place certain conditions on federal funds, it must
16 do so unambiguously, so that states and local governments may exercise their choice
17 knowingly, cognizant of the consequences of their participation. Id. (internal quotation marks
18 omitted). Accordingly, Congress may not surprise a state or local government by initially
19 approving spending unconditionally, then later imposing a condition on receipt of those funds.
20 See NFIB, 132 S. Ct. at 260204. As the Court explained in NFIB, [w]e have repeatedly
21 characterized Spending Clause legislation as much in the nature of a contract. Id. at 2602
22 (internal quotation marks omitted) (emphasis in original). Under this framework, [t]he
23 legitimacy of Congresss exercise of the spending power thus rests on whether the state
24 voluntarily and knowingly accepts the terms of the contract at the time Congress offers the
26 125. Third, the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that Congress may condition grants
27 under the spending power only in ways reasonably related to the purpose of the federal program
28
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1 at issue. Dole, 483 U.S. at 213. In other words, Congress may not burden the payment of funds
2 to a state or municipality for one purpose with a condition that serves a different federal interest.
3 126. Fourth, a conditional grant of federal funds may be barred if it would violate some
4 independent constitutional provision. Id. at 208. For example, Congress could not condition
7 127. Fifth, in some circumstances the financial inducement offered by Congress might
8 be so coercive as to pass the point at which pressure turns to compulsion. Dole, 483 U.S. at
9 211 (quoting Steward Machine Co. v. Davis, 301 U.S. 548, 590 (1937)). Congress may not
10 constitutionally force the States to implement a federal program, NFIB, 132 S. Ct. at 2602, and
11 may not end-run this limitation by imposing conditions on federal spending that are so draconian
12 that they amount to a gun to the head leaving the state or municipality no realistic choice but to
14 128. Section 9(a) of the Executive Order violates most, if not all, of the constitutional
16 129. The Executive Order claims the power to establish conditions governing federal
18 executive branch officials to restrict eligibility for federal spending without statutory authority to
19 do so. Such powers lie beyond the Presidents constitutional authority. They claim for the
20 executive branch powers exclusively assigned to Congress under the Spending Clause, U.S.
22 130. To the extent the President is purporting to impose any conditions or limitations on
23 federal spending, or to direct subordinate executive branch officials to do the same, without
24 express statutory authority, the Executive Order also unlawfully exceeds the Presidents powers
25 under other provisions of the Constitution that establish the separation of powers among the
27 i) the Presidents obligation to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,
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2 President of the United States, who then may sign that enactment or veto it,
3 but has no power to merely revise it, either upon presentment or after
5 131. The Executive Order not only attempts to commandeer Congresss spending
6 power, but it also establishes conditions on federal spending that even Congress could not
7 constitutionally impose. In other words, the President has claimed powers over federal spending
8 that even Congress does not possess, and could therefore never delegate. For example:
11 thus applies equally to both categories. But Congress, let alone the President,
13 ii) The Defunding Provision applies to all federal funding related to any subject.
17 reasonably related to the federal interest to which the expenditure relates (the
18 Dole nexus test). The Executive Order fails that test utterly: the Defunding
19 Provision applies to, and would bar the County from being eligible for funding
22 programs, and a myriad of other programs and services that have absolutely
25 9
The Defunding Provision not only fails the Dole nexus testit gets it exactly backwards. It
contains only one possible exception, for funding deemed necessary for law enforcement
26 purposes, which the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security discretionarily allow
to be remitted. These are the sorts of funds that might have withstood constitutional scrutiny had
27 Congress passed them (and indeed, Congress considered such restrictions and declined to impose
them, see S. 1640, 114th Cong. 114(d) (2015)). The Executive Order threatens all funding
28 unrelated to law enforcement, while paradoxically allowing a mechanism by which relevant
funding may escape the ban.
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1 iii) The Executive Order requires County law enforcement officers to undertake
6 Customs Enforcement. Courts across the country have already determined that
9 the federal funds they rely upon to provide services, County personnel would
13 iv) The new funding conditions the Executive Order imposes are profoundly
14 coercive to the County. Affecting all federal funds, the conditions go far
15 beyond the potential withdrawal of Medicaid funds, which the Supreme Court
17 above, the County receives about $1 billion in federal funding per year,
19 good on his threat to strip all of this federal funding away, it would decimate
20 the Countys ability to provide basic services, including health care, to its
24 the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that
26 grants. In other words, the conditions the Executive Order imposes are not
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1 132. Because the conditions in the Executive Order would be unconstitutional even if
2 imposed by Congress, it is no defense for the government to argue that Congress may have
3 delegated its Spending Clause authority to the President with respect to some or all of the federal
4 funds at issue. Plainly, Congress cannot delegate a power that it does not possess, so it could not
6 133. The County in no way concedes that any delegation of Congresss power under the
7 Spending Clause is constitutionally permitted, or that Congress actually purported to delegate any
8 spending power to the President with respect to the particular federal programs and funds at issue
9 here. In any event, the conditions imposed by the Executive Order are ones that no branch of the
10 federal government has the power to impose, under settled United States Supreme Court
11 precedent.
12 134. For all these reasons, and as set forth elsewhere in this Complaint, section 9(a) of
13 the Executive Order is unlawful and unconstitutional because it violates the constitutional
15 COUNT 2
16 Violation of the Due Process Clause, Amend. 5 Void for Vagueness
17 135. The County incorporates and re-alleges each and every allegation contained above
19 136. Under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a federal law is
20 unconstitutionally vague if it fails to provide a person of ordinary intelligence fair notice of what
23 137. The constitutional vagueness standard applies with full force to executive orders.
24 See United States v. Soussi, 316 F.3d 1095, 1101 (10th Cir. 2002). When an executive order
25 contains terms that are not susceptible of a clear meaning, nor mitigate the vagueness of the
26 term by supplying any definition, then the provision lends itself to subjective interpretation
27 and is unconstitutional. Humanitarian Law Project v. U.S. Dept of Treasury, 463 F. Supp. 2d
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1 138. The Executive Order, which reads more like a slapdash press release than it does a
2 serious expression of federal policy, fails to satisfy this constitutional minimum. It fails to
4 139. Section 9(a) of the Executive Order fails to define key terms, such as sanctuary
6 and entity, as well as the all-important phrase statute, policy, or practice that prevents or
7 hinders the enforcement of Federal law. Executive Order, Sec. 9(a) at 8801. Having such a
8 practice subjects a jurisdiction to enforcement action, which could be draconian in nature. Id.
9 What such a practice might be is left undefined, and subject to the executive branchs unbridled
10 discretion.
11 140. The Executive Order lends itself to subjective interpretation and discriminatory
12 enforcement; indeed, that seems to be its point. The order grants the Secretary of Homeland
14 jurisdiction that is not eligible to receive Federal grants. Id. The order likewise grants the
15 Attorney General unfettered discretion to take appropriate enforcement action against any
16 entity that, in his estimation, violates 8 U.S.C. 1373, or has a statute, policy, or practice that
17 prevents or hinders the enforcement of Federal law. Id. Such a vast, standardless, and
19 141. Other portions of the Executive Order are equally vague. Section 6, for example,
20 requires assessment of fines and penalties against not only undocumented persons but also
21 anyone who facilitate[s] their presence in the United States. Id. Sec. 6 at 8800. It is unclear
22 what facilitate means in this context, and could apply to County employees who provide
23 undocumented persons with basic, safety-net services, landlords, employers, friends, family,
24 churches or non-profit organizations who assist undocumented persons, or even lawyers who
25 represent undocumented persons in immigration proceedings. Not only does this standardless
26 provision exceed the Presidents authority by legislating through executive order, but it also
28
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1 142. For all these reasons, and as set forth elsewhere in this Complaint, the Executive
2 Order is unconstitutionally vague in violation of the Fifth Amendments Due Process Clause.
3 COUNT 3
4 Violation of the Due Process Clause, Amend. 5 Procedural Due Process
5 143. The County incorporates and re-alleges each and every allegation contained above
7 144. Under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the federal
8 government may not deprive the County of money or property without due process of law.
9 145. The County has a constitutionally protectable property interest in the federal funds
10 it relies on to provide essential services to 1.9 million residents. The Countys property interest in
11 those federal funds is established and governed by rules and mutually explicit understandings
13 146. Section 9(a) of the Executive Order deprives the County of its procedural due
14 process rights under the Fifth Amendment because it grants the Attorney General and Secretary
15 of Homeland Security unfettered discretion to deprive the County of all federal funds, with no
16 opportunity to review, challenge, or even obtain notice that the deprivation is coming.
17 147. Specifically, the Executive Order grants the Attorney General and Secretary of
18 Homeland Security unfettered discretion to ensure that certain jurisdictions are not eligible to
19 receive Federal grants. Executive Order, Sec. 9(a) at 8801. The order further grants those
21 sanctuary jurisdiction that may not receive federal funds. Id. The order likewise grants the
22 Attorney General unfettered discretion to take appropriate enforcement action against any
23 entity that, in his estimation, violates 8 U.S.C. 1373, or has a statute, policy, or practice that
24 prevents or hinders the enforcement of Federal law. Id. The order provides no mechanism by
25 which a state or local government may review, challenge, or even obtain notice that it has been
27
28
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1 148. Because the Executive Order deprives the County of a cognizable property interest
4 COUNT 4
5 Violation of the Tenth Amendment
6 149. The County incorporates and re-alleges each and every allegation contained above
8 150. Executive Order Section 9(a) provides that The Attorney General shall take
9 appropriate enforcement action against any entity that violates 8 U.S.C. 1373, or which has in
10 effect a statute, policy, or practice that prevents or hinders the enforcement of Federal law.
12 151. The Executive Order requires state and local jurisdictions to affirmatively assist
13 federal immigration officials by, inter alia, complying, at their own expense, with ICE detainer
14 requests. By demanding that state and local governments, including the County, imprison
15 individuals subject to removal at the request of federal officials even if those individuals would
16 otherwise be subject to release from County custody, the Executive Order commandeers state and
17 local officials in furtherance of a federal regulatory program in violation of the Tenth Amendment
19 152. The Executive Order also demands that state and local governments, including the
20 County, take other unspecified actions to avoid prevent[ing] or hinder[ing] the federal
21 government in the enforcement of Federal law more generally. Id. That directive transforms
22 state and local officials into ancillary arms of the federal government, destroying the political
23 accountability that drives our federal system. A more plain violation of the Tenth Amendment is
24 difficult to fathom.
25 CONCLUSION
26 153. In Federalist No. 47, James Madison warned of the dangers inherent in [t]he
27 accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, pronouncing
28 it the very definition of tyranny. The Federalist No. 47 (James Madison). Mindful of the
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1 threat, he continued: Were the federal Constitution, therefore, really chargeable with the
4 system. Id. Quoting Montesquieu, Madison focused on the particular dangers posed by an
5 executive that claims for himself the legislative power: When the legislative and executive
6 powers are united in the same person or body . . . there can be no liberty, because apprehensions
7 may arise lest THE SAME monarch or senate should ENACT tyrannical laws to EXECUTE them
10 a bedrock notionthe separation of powersthat lies at the very legal heart of our nation. And
11 if the nation, and the Constitution that created it, are to endure, then that principle must yet have
12 force. Executive Order 13768 is unconstitutional, and the courts must declare it so.
3 8. Such other and further relief that this Court may deem fit and proper.
4
Respectfully submitted,
5
Dated: February 3, 2017 OFFICE OF THE COUNTY COUNSEL,
6 COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
7
8 By:
JAMES R. WILLIAMS, County Counsel
9 GRETA S. HANSEN
DANIELLE GOLDSTEIN
10 KA VITA NARAYAN
JAVIER SERRANO
11 JULIA SPIEGEL
ADRIANA BENEDICT
12
Attorneys For Plaintiff COUNTY OF
13 SANTA CLARA
14
Dated: February 3, 2017 KEKER & VAN NEST LLP
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