What Happened?

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick of the Northern District of California issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against an executive order to cut off federal funding to sanctuary states and cities that President Donald Trump issued on Jan. 25.

According to Cornell University Law School’s Legal Information Institute, a preliminary injunction is a temporary court order that requires a person or organization to cease a specific harmful action before a lawsuit goes to trial.

The injunction temporarily blocks the Trump administration’s executive order, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” which will withhold federal funding from cities and states that have pledged to protect undocumented immigrants by refusing to cooperate with federal immigration officials, according to the White House Office of the Press Secretary.

Multiple motions for an injunction were filed by Santa Clara County and the city and county of San Francisco, who have both pursued lawsuits against the Trump administration, according to the Mercury News. Judge Orrick heard the claims on April 14 at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

The temporary injunction applies to the entire country, not just California.

As of Jan. 2016, there were over 300 sanctuary jurisdictions that refused to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, according to a study conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies and reported in a federal memo issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on May 21, 2016.

For a preliminary injunction to be granted, the party must demonstrate that they will suffer “irreparable harm” unless it is granted, according to the Legal Information Institute. Santa Clara County alone could lose around $1.7 billion, which constitutes about 35 percent of the county’s total revenue, according to the Mercury News.

A Reuters analysis released on Jan. 26 shows that $2.27 billion dollars in federal funding could be cut by Trump’s executive order for the 10 largest sanctuary cities in the U.S.

The study listed the city and county of Los Angeles and the city of San Francisco as the major sanctuary cities and counties in California, which stand to lose $466.2 million and $70.9 million respectively.

According to the Mercury News, the Bay Area houses several sanctuary counties, including San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Alameda and cities like Oakland and San Jose.

Cal State East Bay Chancellor Timothy White issued several statements to the campus community in recent months that pledged the CSU’s commitment to protecting undocumented students. White promised that the CSU system will not enforce federal immigration executive orders, unless required by law.

The University Police Department will not work with local, state or federal officials to detain, question or arrest students who are — or are suspected to be — undocumented, according to White.