State defends sanctuary laws as cities organize against them

California urged a federal judge to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice’s legal challenge to its “sanctuary state” legislation, marking the latest flare-up in a courtroom battle that has also ignited a growing number of local lawsuits.

State Attorney General Xavier Becerra argued in a court filing on Friday that the three laws in question are consistent with the constitutional framework governing immigration enforcement. He pressed U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to dismiss the government’s request for a preliminary injunction for failure to state a claim.

The Department of Justice has not yet filed a response.

California passed three laws last November that offer sweeping protections to illegal immigrants. The California Values Act, or Senate Bill 54, is widely considered the most significant because it limits cooperation between local and state agencies with federal authorities on immigration enforcement activities.

While the laws enjoy strong support in liberal enclaves, they have triggered uprisings in a growing number of California’s conservative towns and counties, a wave of revolts that are becoming increasingly well-organized.

The chairman of the Fresno County Republican Party, Fred Vanderhoof, hosted a private meeting on Monday to instruct Central Valley elected officials on how to fight the California Values Act. Vanderhoof declined to comment about details of the event, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

The planned private meeting includes guest speakers Shawn Steel, a current Republican National Committee member and former chairman of the California Republican Party, and Susan Tully, the national field director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR.

Steel was unsure who else would be in attendance, but he said the meeting would focus on three legal tactics local bodies can adopt to combat the sanctuary legislation, including passing resolutions, filing amicus briefs on behalf of the U.S. government, and approving ordinances to counter the state law.

Sameer Ahmed, an ACLU attorney in Los Angeles, said in an email that as far as he knew, Los Alamitos is the only city in California that has enacted an ordinance purporting to opt out of the California Values Act.

“My understanding is that the other cities, including Costa Mesa, have only passed resolutions expressing their disapproval with the California Fair Values Act and perhaps signing onto amicus briefs in USA v. CA,” Ahmed continued.

Steel said he’s been discussing the state immigration laws with officials in other cities and more ordinances and resolutions could be coming.

“Los Alamitos broke open the discussion,” he said. “We’re finding a whole lot of new leaders.”

FAIR appears to be playing a support role behind the local activists and officials who are resisting the state law.

FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman confirmed the organization has filed amicus briefs on behalf of several cities in California and responded to activists who contacted the organization for assistance. He said FAIR has also reached out to local stakeholders to let them know if they place pressure on their city governments, they may receive support from the organization.

Mehlman was vague about the scope of support but indicated FAIR is prepared to be a source of legal assistance.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated FAIR a hate group, citing the organization’s historic ties to white supremacists and eugenicists. According to the SPLC website, FAIR has become more active in advancing anti-immigrant laws in recent years.

In 2010, a member of the group’s legal arm, the Immigration Reform Law Institute, helped Arizona craft Senate Bill 1070, which allows law enforcement officers to detain individuals who they suspect are illegal immigrants.