The Trump administration has taken a significant step by suing Los Angeles over its status as a "sanctuary city." This lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department on Monday, claims that L.A.’s policies violate the U.S. Constitution. The city currently prohibits local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration laws or working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration matters. The DOJ argues that this creates a discriminatory environment, treating immigration officers differently from other law enforcement officials. They are seeking to block these sanctuary policies.
Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized these policies, linking them to recent riots against ICE in Los Angeles. She stated that such jurisdictions undermine law enforcement by prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens. The DOJ has also targeted sanctuary policies in other cities, including New York.
In recent months, the Trump administration has ramped up efforts to detain and deport illegal immigrants. Nationwide, ICE has conducted numerous workplace raids, leading to a significant increase in daily immigration arrests. In June alone, ICE averaged about 1,200 arrests per day, with some days exceeding 2,000. This surge has resulted in the highest number of immigrant detainees in U.S. history, with over 59,000 currently in custody.
In a related incident, Customs and Border Protection recently raided a home in Los Angeles suspected of harboring Iranian nationals with ties to terrorism. This raid led to the arrests of two individuals, following a previous operation at the same location that resulted in seven arrests.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to end Temporary Protected Status for around 500,000 Haitians by September 2. DHS claims that conditions in Haiti have improved enough for citizens to safely return home.
In other news, President Trump has been vocal in his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Harvard University. During a recent press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a letter from Trump to Powell, urging him to significantly lower interest rates. Trump expressed frustration, stating that Powell’s actions have cost the U.S. economy a fortune.
Additionally, the Trump administration has accused Harvard of violating the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Jewish and Israeli students. The university has been warned that failure to address these issues could lead to the loss of federal funding.
As Trump pushes forward with his ambitious legislative agenda, Democrats are working hard to slow down his "Big, Beautiful Bill." This sweeping legislation has faced opposition, even from some Republicans. A lengthy vote-a-rama in the Senate has allowed Democrats to force votes on various amendments, stalling the process and highlighting divisions within the Republican Party.
Polling indicates that the Big, Beautiful Bill is not well-received by the public, with unfavorable ratings hovering around minus 20 to minus 26. Despite this, the White House remains optimistic that once the bill is enacted, Americans will see benefits in their paychecks and change their opinions.