US Judge Blocks Trump's Executive Order to Cut Funding for Sanctuary Cities

A US federal judge blocked on Tuesday President Donald Trump’s executive order to cut on funding for cities that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants and fail to comply with federal immigration regulations.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A federal judge in the US state of California temporarily halted on Tuesday President Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks to cut funding for so-called sanctuary cities in the United States, according to a court document filed Tuesday.

"The counties have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their challenge of Section 9(a) of the Executive Order," the document stated. "The counties’ motions for a nationwide preliminary injunction, enjoining Section 9(a), are granted."

Cities and counties in the United States that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants by disallowing information on their status to be provided to federal authorities are called sanctuary cities.

US District Judge William Orrick stated in the document that the plaintiff’s claimed they would sustain "irreparable" harm if not granted an injunction.

However, Orrick also noted that his legal action will not impact the US government’s capabilities to lawfully enforce existing condition of federal grants in accordance to existing immigration laws.

On January 25, Trump issued an executive order blocking nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. On March 6, a revision of the travel ban was issued.