In a move reflecting the growing tension between local governments and federal immigration policy, Saint Paul, Minnesota, has aligned itself with San Francisco in a legal battle against the President's executive order. As reported by the city's official news release, Mayor Melvin Carter, alongside city officials, has announced Saint Paul's participation in the lawsuit. This action aims to block the withholding of federal funds from cities that refuse to have their local law enforcement act as immigration authorities.
Mayor Carter emphasized the duty to safeguard the fundamental promise to residents and businesses, declaring, "We do not accept the proposal of this executive order unlawfully holding hostage federal funds as ransom against an unlawful political demand." Saint Paul currently benefits from approximately $260 million in federal funds supporting various city services—from emergency response to infrastructure. The lawsuit argues these funds are being illegally leveraged to compel local law enforcement to perform duties beyond their scope.
The stakes for Saint Paul are significant, with already contracted federal funding accounting for nearly $192.2 million. According to the city's council president, Rebecca Noecker, these funds are integral for maintaining the safety and stability of the community. Without them, Saint Paul faces several dire impacts on community services and infrastructure, such as delayed environmental projects and reduction in public safety training and personnel.
Councilmember Nelsie Yang further underscored the potential disproportionate effects on marginalized communities, stating, "We know the loss of federal funding [that] negatively impacts our ability to build more affordable housing, improve our highways and parks, protect our natural resources like water, and ensure safety of the public disproportionately impacts marginalized communities like ours most." In addition to these immediate concerns, Saint Paul's participation in the lawsuit is an effort to maintain a longstanding city ordinance enacted in 2004, which ensures equal access to city services regardless of immigration status, and explicitly states city employees cannot be forced to enforce federal immigration policies.
City Attorney Lyndsey Olson clarified the city's stance, remarking, "Our legal challenge is not about opposing lawful immigration enforcement,” said City Attorney Lyndsey Olson. “The federal government, under the current executive orders and internal directives, is attempting to coerce state and local governments into direct enforcement of federal immigration law. The federal government may not compel state and local governments to enact or administer federal regulatory programs."
