With confirmation hearings for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche scheduled for this week, Blanche’s record will inevitably be in the spotlight. Among the most promising actions Blanche has taken in his current role are his recent efforts to turn up the temperature on the so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
As the Trump administration seeks to carry out its mandate to enforce immigration law, one of the most recurring obstacles thus far has been the increasing presence of so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions, where state and local authorities pledge not to cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing federal immigration laws. At best, these jurisdictions are providing no assistance to the federal government, and at worst, they are openly obstructing federal law enforcement.
Not only do these jurisdictions resist the lawful authority of the federal government on immigration, but they also continue to put Americans at risk through policies that favor criminal aliens over law-abiding Americans. For example, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz just pardoned a convicted Laotian child rapist in an unsuccessful attempt to shield him from deportation. Similarly, as recently shown by America First Legal, Virginia’s Fairfax County has continued to release illegal aliens into the community, even when these aliens are convicted of the worst kinds of crimes. These are the consequences of “sanctuary” policies everywhere they are enacted.
As I have argued elsewhere in these pages, pleas from the federal government to these states and cities to cooperate will almost assuredly prove impotent unless the Trump administration can put sufficiently overwhelming federal pressure on these jurisdictions and thereby coerce them.
While Blanche’s actions mark an uptick of enforcement actions from the Trump admin, Blanche is merely carrying out Department of Justice priorities that Trump has been seeking since he returned to the White House. As early as February 2025, the DOJ issued a memorandum stating that “sanctuary” jurisdictions will not receive access to grants from the DOJ unless they are compliant with federal immigration law. Also, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed the DOJ to identify and cut off from departmental funding any non-governmental organizations (NGOs) “either directly or indirectly” providing services and funding to “removable or illegal aliens.” Lastly, the Civil Division of DOJ was instructed to initiate lawsuits against “sanctuary” jurisdictions: Blanche is currently working to implement these indispensable priorities.
Recent DOJ Action
In the most recent filing, Blanche announced a lawsuit against the state of Maryland for its “Community Trust Act” enacted by the state legislature. Its “purpose and effect is to obstruct federal law enforcement and thwart the constitutional obligation of the President of the United States to take care that the immigration laws enacted by Congress are enforced.” The complaint continued: “The Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution prohibits a state from obstructing Congress and the Executive in this manner … Accordingly, the United States brings this declaratory and injunctive action to prohibit the State of Maryland from enforcing the Community Trust Act, S.B. 791 (2026).” It is straightforward that states cannot lawfully nullify, override, or impede the federal enforcement of clearly constitutional federal laws (e.g., immigration laws).
In June, the DOJ announced a suit against the state of New York for its “sanctuary” policies, which included criminally banning federal agents from wearing masks and prohibiting cooperative 287(g) agreements between federal and local law enforcement. Federal agents, such as ICE and CBP, often wear masks to protect their identities from swarms of left-wing activists. This is especially understandable given the 8,000 percent increase in death threats against ICE agents since Trump returned to the presidency.
In Virginia, at the behest of the DOJ, a federal judge enjoined the enforcement of the state’s law that attempted to ban federal agents from wearing masks. A similar ruling was issued by a federal judge in Pennsylvania when the DOJ sued the city of Philadelphia over a local attempt to punish federal agents for wearing masks. In both of these cases, the federal judges ruled in favor of the Trump administration because they correctly stated that these state laws attempted to assert authority over federal agents, which is unconstitutional, given the supremacy of the federal government over the states. It is a relief to finally witness some judicial injunctions being issued on behalf of the Trump administration, given the nonstop interference coming from federal judges against so many actions taken by the administration.
Promising Convictions
Also, it is encouraging to see the federal authorities arresting and charging protesters and left-wing activists who have attacked federal agents or issued death threats. For example, leftist rioter Nicolas Scelfo was charged in June for threatening to kill ICE agents and their families. Similarly, 15 members of Direct Action Minnesota, an Antifa-connected leftist front in Minneapolis, were charged for their attempts to impede, injure, and assault federal officers. These leftist activities are blatantly illegal, and they should be crushed mercilessly. Another encouraging sign is the recent convictions and life prison sentences for eight Antifa terrorists for their attack on an ICE facility and ICE agents last summer in Prairieland, Texas.
We need to see many more such convictions and punishments for the criminals violently resisting our patriotic law enforcement, who work tirelessly to remove the illegal aliens from our country. Attacks on federal law enforcement will not be stopped by appeals to decency, for the domestic terrorists committing these actions and the corrupt “sanctuary” politicians enabling them have no shame or decency. Instead, they will only be stopped by superior force from the federal government. Civil lawsuits against state and local governments, as well as criminal convictions for leftist terrorists, are much-needed steps to exert that control.
Left’s and Right’s Tactics
One of the most effective ways the left has advanced its agendas politically in America has been to capture the federal government, impose its interpretations onto federal laws and through the courts and federal agencies, and then to force state and local jurisdictions to comply. This tactic can be seen in the forced integration of public schools during the civil rights era, the Obama administration’s attempt to impose “disparate impact” standards on discipline in public schools and its own interpretation of Title IX anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rules on colleges and universities receiving federal funding, the Biden administration’s crushing “consent decrees” meant to hamper local law enforcement in major cities in the name of anti-racism, and more.
It is long past time to fight fire with fire. If the right is to succeed in remaking the country, we must continue the administration’s efforts to break the power of the left in state and local governments. If state and local governments will not protect the rights of American citizens, then it is the federal government’s duty to override them and provide that much-needed protection. Much more can be done, but we should be grateful that President Trump and his DOJ seem determined to fight these battles to defend America against such treacherous “sanctuary” politicians.
