A federal judge in Boston is considering whether to temporarily ban the Trump administration from targeting funding for Chelsea and Somerville over their refusal to participate in most federal immigration enforcement practices.
Attorneys with Lawyers for Civil Rights, the organization representing the cities,asked Judge Nathan Gorton at a hearing on Thursday to stop the Trump administration from withholding millions of dollars in federal funding as their lawsuit plays out.
Chelsea and Somerville, which have long had sanctuary city ordinances, argue that President Trump’s executive orders and directives to withhold funding from them is unconstitutional.
“What we are concerned about is the campaign of coercion that is happening right now, that there will be cities that will not be able to withstand the pressure of the federal government and will give up their rights because they feel that they have no choice,” said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for Lawyers for Civil Rights, after the hearing. “That is what we want to prevent for Somerville and for Chelsea.”
Gorton took the matter under advisement following oral arguments.
Sellstrom argued that the handful of executive orders issued by the Trump administration create uncertainty around funding for local programs on a wide range of matters, including education, law enforcement and transit, and it disrupts the ability of local officials to budget for residents’ needs.
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Featured Photo: A mural in downtown Chelsea celebrates the city’s history, including the many immigrants it has welcomed over the past two centuries. Photo by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News
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