The City of Sacramento has recently joined forces with 15 other municipalities in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration's threat to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities. President Trump, on his first day in office, signed an Executive Order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to restrict the flow of federal dollars to jurisdictions that prioritize their local resources elsewhere than enforcing federal immigration laws, as Sacramento City Express reported.

This legal battle comes at a critical juncture for Sacramento, which has upheld its sanctuary city status since 1985 and is now expecting to receive some $175 million in federal reimbursements earmarked for a variety of municipal services, including those vital to public works, public safety, and medical services not forgetting the Sacramento Police Department's reliance on more than $1.6 million from DOJ grant programs that cover expenses ranging from hiring additional police officers to funding innovative crime-fighting technology.

Staunch in its moral and civic responsibility, the city maintains its legacy as a haven for immigrants and refugees following the values of compassion and respect. Mayor Kevin McCarty said, "For forty years, our city has been a safe haven for refugees fleeing hardship and persecution," he told Sacramento City Express. Likewise, Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra echoed this sentiment affirming Sacramento's history of embracing immigrants and refugees as a core element of its community fabric, "Our City’s history is built on immigrants and refugees, who are seamlessly intertwined within our community."

In 2017, Sacramento's City Council passed a resolution to reaffirm the city's sanctuary status, thus directing city officials to avoid expending local resources on federal civil immigration enforcement to the detriment of their primary city functions City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood stated, "It is my highest duty as the City Attorney of Sacramento to protect and defend the City from infringement of local power and authority," as she emphasized the importance of local jurisdiction over resource allocation, joining the multi-city lawsuit to safeguard those resources and preserve the Council’s decision-making ability, as per Sacramento City Express report.