Trump Takes Aim At Sanctuary Cities

Written By Leeja Miller

Operation: Flood The Zone List

1. Call Your AG (Blue State Defiance)

2. Protest (50501 or Tesla Takedown)

3. Call Your Federal Reps (5 Calls)

4. Follow Your Local Reps (Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy On The Brink)

Sources:

Transcript:

Hi! You’re tuned in to Why, America? I’m Leeja Miller, let’s get into it. Trump is ramping up attacks against local officials, and the arrest of Judge Dugan in Wisconsin last month in retaliation for allegedly obstructing immigration officers and concealing an immigrant to prevent his arrest is just the beginning. When asked by a far right “journalist” why the administration hasn’t arrested more state officials for “harboring illegals”, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan smirked and said “wait until you see what’s coming.” This was specifically related to Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers as a veiled threat that he might be targeted next, specifically because of guidance he sent out to state employees in April directing them to consult with their department attorney before cooperating with federal officials or allowing federal officials into non-public areas. It also directs state workers not to give ICE officers access to documents or computers without first consulting an attorney. These guidelines are in line with similar directives issued by Connecticut’s governor, and are similar to the National Immigration Law Center’s recommendations for handling ICE officials. The directions weren’t to resist no matter what. They were to talk to a lawyer first, frankly great advice for anyone being questioned by any government official ever. But of course right wing nut jobs took the guidance and spun it into a boogeyman story of Governor Evers telling state employees not to cooperate with the feds and to attempt to block ICE agents from doing their jobs.

I think it’s notable that both of these officials, Judge Hannah Dugan who was arrested, and Governor Tony Evers who is being threatened, are located in Wisconsin. The state voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2024, and Biden narrowly won in 2020 by about 20,000 votes. Trump only won by about 20,000 in 2016, and 30,000 votes in 2024, always less than 1 percentage point above the competition. Until 2019, Republican Governor Scott Walker served largely at the pleasure of Donald Trump. The Wisconsin supreme court battle earlier this year made major headlines especially when Elon Musk decided to try to buy the election for Republicans, which was unsuccessful. This is a state that has helped Trump win elections and it is a state that Republicans clearly feel they have to pump energy and money into to keep it as red as possible. Time dubbed it the ultimate purple state in October last year, saying quote “Unlike states that have experienced dramatic demographic and economic changes that drove political shifts, Wisconsin remains relatively stable and homogeneous. Its stability on a number of fronts means that the state offers a unique window into the cause and effects of national trends and shifts.” Meaning Wisconsin is a test state. So it’s no wonder they’ve chosen Wisconsin as the site to test how their real and threatened arrests of public officials might play out on a larger scale. And the Trump administration has made clear that they do plan on cracking down on local jurisdictions that don’t bend the knee.

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On April 28th, Trump dropped two executive orders clearly aimed at directing his administration to begin their crackdown on local jurisdictions. Because of the sheer noise of the current media cycle, I think these two orders largely got lost in the shuffle, and April 28th already feels like a year ago??? But despite this news being ancient at this point in our current news cycle, I think it bears investigating and discussing. Lately it’s felt like a lot of my job in bringing you the news and analysis is in sussing out what is ACTUALLY news versus what is just noise. Please know I try to do my best to focus in on stories that have long-term importance. For example, today everyone in the news is talking about the interview Trump gave in which the interviewer asked “do you have to uphold the constitution” and Trump said “I don’t know.” It’s splashy, but like we know that already. We know Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s just signing documents being placed on his desk and parroting a few misguided talking points that his advisors have attempted to feed him. They are basically weekend at bernies-ing him through this Presidency and that’s kinda the point. He’s a figurehead who doesn’t have to know about the constitution.

And these two executive orders from the 28th are more evidence of the work happening behind the scenes that Trump is enacting with a stroke of his comically huge sharpie. The first is called “STRENGTHENING AND UNLEASHING AMERICA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT TO PURSUE CRIMINALS AND PROTECT INNOCENT CITIZENS.” It says, in relevant part, that the Trump administration will “establish best practices at the State and local level for cities to unleash high-impact local police forces; protect and defend law enforcement officers wrongly accused and abused by State or local officials; and surge resources to officers in need. My Administration will work to ensure that law enforcement officers across America focus on ending crime, not pursuing harmful, illegal race- and sex-based “equity” policies.” It directs the Attorney General to provide legal support to cops who get sued for their activity on the job, including directing the use of private-sector pro bono assistance for cops. Remember all those law firms that signed a deal with the little orange devil in exchange for amnesty, and in those deals they agreed to only do pro bono work that Trump approves? That was setting up for this–that pro bono work will include defending cops when they inevitably get sued for negligent or homicidal behavior on the job.

The order also directs the AG to seek enhanced sentences for crimes against law enforcement officers–so you kill a cop you get the death penalty, basically, and he orders the AG to review all consent decrees, agreements, and post judgment orders to which state or local law enforcement is a party, and get rid of the ones that quote “unduly impede the performance of law enforcement functions.” Meaning all of them. For example, after the murder of George Floyd here in Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Police Department entered into a consent decree with the federal government aimed at monitoring the police and introducing measures to ensure that they stop murdering people on the streets. Which I’m certain Pam Bondi would vehemently argue impedes the performance of their law enforcement functions cuz they need to be trained less and given more leeway when murdering people on the streets!!!

The EO also orders the AG and other agency heads to quote “increase the provision of excess military and national security assets in local jurisdictions to assist State and local law enforcement” within 90 days. “Assist” is key–it’s technically not martial law if the army is just there to assist!!

The EO also directs the AG to prosecute state and local jurisdictions and their officials who, quote “willfully and unlawfully direct the obstruction of criminal law, including by directly and unlawfully prohibiting law enforcement officers from carrying out duties necessary for public safety and law enforcement; or unlawfully engage in discrimination or civil-rights violations under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives that restrict law enforcement activity or endanger citizens.” Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested on a Friday and this EO dropped the following Monday, saying that state and local officials who obstruct law enforcement officers will be prosecuted. And this past Saturday, the head of the DOJ civil rights division announced it was investigating the Hennepin County, that’s the county Minneapolis is in, the Hennepin County prosecutor’s office over a memo it released recently in which it directed prosecutors to take race and age into consideration when recommending sentences for defendants. It said, quote “proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age. While these factors should not be controlling, they should be part of the overall analysis.” The DOJ said it was going to investigate to see whether the county prosecutor’s office is engaging in “a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” Because we are truly living in the upside down in which the Civil Rights division of the DOJ is concerned with prosecutors who consider race at all when looking at how to recommend an individual is sentenced. Despite the fact that it is common practice for judges to receive a report from parole officers in which a defendant’s entire background is laid out so that the judge can determine a sentence on an individualized basis, given a person’s background. And the color of your skin dictates a lot about how you move through and experience the world, so it would make sense for judges and the attorneys prosecuting people to consider the whole person when making recommendations and sentences. But this is woke DEI bullshit in MAGA world.

So the idea of this executive order is to empower the AG to utilize the military to build up local police forces and to especially target cities and jurisdictions that are not falling in line with the anti-DEI Trump initiatives with investigations and potential criminal prosecutions of officials who resist.

The second executive order from April 28th deals another blow to communities that attempt to resist. It is called “PROTECTING AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FROM CRIMINAL ALIENS.” This EO posits that it is the Federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws and to protect the country from foreign invasion, but some state and local officials are violating and obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws. It says, quote, “This is a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law and the Federal Government’s obligation to defend the territorial sovereignty of the United States. Beyond the intolerable national security risks, such nullification efforts often violate Federal criminal laws, including those prohibiting obstruction of justice (18 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), unlawfully harboring or hiring illegal aliens (8 U.S.C. 1324), conspiracy against the United States (18 U.S.C. 371), and conspiracy to impede Federal law enforcement (18 U.S.C. 372). Assisting aliens in violating Federal immigration law could also violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. 1961 et seq.). Some measures to assist illegal aliens also necessarily violate Federal laws prohibiting discrimination against Americans in favor of illegal aliens and protecting Americans’ civil rights.” Yes that’s right it is a RICO violation to harbor illegal aliens. The same RICO law that Sean P Diddy Combs is accused of violating. That trial began today.

Anyway this EO then tells Pam Bondi within 30 days to make a list of all state and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws, aka sanctuary cities. There is no official list, so creating that hit list is the first step. Then, the jurisdictions that make the list will be notified about how they are violating federal criminal law, and any federal funds and grants to those locations will be suspended or terminated. And if the local jurisdictions refuse to stop violating federal law, the EO says, quote, “the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end these violations and bring such jurisdictions into compliance with the laws of the United States.” This at the same time as they are looking into ramping up support for local law enforcement and considering whether to send the military to certain jurisdictions pursuant to the other EO we were just talking about. These were released on the same day because they are meant to work in tandem. And they are a sign of increased scrutiny on blue states and cities meant to punish any jurisdiction that tries to stand up to the Trump administration. The DOJ has already filed lawsuits against Denver and Colorado, Chicago, and Rochester New York for alleged sanctuary city policies that violate Federal laws. The latest lawsuit against Denver and Colorado names the governor, the Colorado AG, the mayor of Denver, and the Denver Sheriff all as defendants in the complaint.

Local jurisdictions are already fighting back. A lawsuit was filed back in February by San Francisco, which has been joined by several other cities including Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as Santa Fe New Mexico. San Francisco filed the same lawsuit during the first Trump administration when the government attempted to withhold federal funds from the city in retaliation for its sanctuary policies. In that 2018 lawsuit, an appeals court ruled the sanctuary policies were legal and withholding federal funds was unconstitutional. So this is a repeat of that case, and this case is still ongoing, with more likely given these latest executive orders from April 28th. And this is just an example of the ways in which the Trump administration will go after local jurisdictions to try to enforce the Project 2025 agenda and punish anyone who gets in the way. Any and all officials are on the chopping block–state attorneys general, mayors, governors, individual judges. The attack on judges is growing support in Congress as MAGA members push to impeach any judge who stands in the way of Trump’s agenda, despite the fact that it is notoriously difficult to impeach a judge especially when they are making a good faith determination based on law and fact. That is no high crime or misdemeanor. Still, representatives Lauren Boebert, Andy Ogles, and Brandon Gill have been pushing for articles of impeachment against judges that step out of line, and Elon Musk is pledging donations to each of their campaigns, making the idea of impeaching judges ever more appealing to the far right. And now speaker of the house Mike Johnson has floated the idea of removing federal courts altogether. Fully deleting districts. He said, quote, “Desperate times call for desperate measures … We do have authority over the federal courts. We can eliminate an entire district court. We have the power of funding over the courts.” While it’s true Congress has the power of the purse and the express constitutional authority to create lower courts as they see fit, the constitution is silent about REMOVING courts, though it has happened a number of times that Congress has eliminated courts in the process of reforming the judiciary, such as expanding the number of circuit or appellate courts or rearranging the numbers or locations of courts. In those instances, the main issue tended to be what to do with the judges in the now defunct courts, because they are meant to serve a life tenure unless they willingly resign or are removed by impeachment. So those judges were often shuffled around to the newly created courts. This would be unprecedented, however, because the elimination of jurisdictions would not be for procedural reasons but for retaliatory reasons. And given how backlogged our courts are, it would not go over well if courts were entirely eliminated. It would, I guess, support Trump’s argument that we can deny people due process because there are just too many people we’re trying to prosecute, it’ll just take too long!!! But it could be spun as simply a procedural issue by saying there are too many cases, we’re actually going to create MORE courts by eliminating this larger district and creating 2 new districts instead, ones where Trump gets to appoint the judges. So Judge Boasberg has been a real pain in the ass for Trump, what if Congress took the DC Circuit and split it up, allowing Trump to appoint new judges in an incredibly consequential circuit where a lot of the lawsuits against him go through.

All of this to say, while there is a ton happening at the federal level with Trump’s various executive orders and actions and the targeting of major federal agencies, the Project 2025 playbook is holistic, and it has many plans for attacking local jurisdictions as well. From implanting ICE and the military with local police to removing federal funding to suing officials by name, the Trump administration is hard at work making life as hard as possible for every single person and location that stands in his way. And with local jurisdictions, the process is like stomping out ants. They’re small and easy to kill but damn there’s so many of them and they just keep coming. And that’s, I think, where their power lies as well.

This second Trump term has clearly been all about “flooding the zone” as former Trump advisor Steve Bannon calls it. Dropping order after order, doing ridiculous shit to dominate the headlines, causing chaos for the sake of chaos, all in an effort to break down the opposition. But what’s cool is that we can flood the zone, too. And there’s more of us and we’re pissed. And I think that needs to be harnessed in every possible way the same way MAGA is doing it. There needs to be strategy but this also needs to be a numbers game, as well. The point is to overwhelm. To distract. To push for what we want relentlessly. At every possible level in every possible forum. In all three branches of the federal government and all levels of local government as well. What does this look like? Well, let’s break it down, starting with the three branches of government.

In the judicial branch, a lot of lawyers have done a great job already at filing as many lawsuits as possible to stop the Trump administration in its tracks. This includes plaintiff attorneys filing lawsuits on behalf of individuals being harmed by Trump’s policies, it includes non-profits like the ACLU filing lawsuits on behalf of individuals or classes of people. It also includes State Attorneys General whose job it is is to file lawsuits on behalf of their states’ residents. They are literally called “the peoples’ lawyer” for a reason. They advocate for people whose rights are being threatened by corporations, governments, or private actors. That can happen through filing lawsuits but also through investigations, public education, consumer protection actions, and more. State AGs also issue formal legal opinions to state agencies, propose new legislation, represent state agencies in court, file amicus briefs at the Supreme Court, enforce civil rights laws, receive complaints filed by individual citizens, freedom of information act enforcement, and more.

So while each of us as individuals can’t necessarily file lawsuits, though if you believe your rights have been violated you should absolutely seek a lawyer’s assistance and or file a complaint with your state attorney general, we can still push against Trump’s efforts by giving our time volunteering or our money to organizations like the ACLU, Democracy Forward, and others that are actively filing lawsuits in court to stop the Trump administration. We can also contact our attorneys general. They literally are our lawyers. They are supposed to represent us. The nonprofit Indivisible has a lot of great resources. For people with Democratic AGs, go to blue state defiance dot org for a list of what to demand from your AG. This includes asking them to use their powers to File Legal Challenges: AGs can sue ICE and DHS over unconstitutional arrests, lack of due process, and violations of civil liberties, Demand Transparency: AGs can subpoena or investigate ICE actions within their states, especially raids, detentions, or coordination with local law enforcement. Reinforce Sanctuary Protections: AGs should support and defend state and local policies that restrict law enforcement collaboration with ICE, preventing data-sharing and unjust detentions. And Defend Protections in Schools, Workplaces, Universities, etc: AGs should collaborate with institutions that serve international and immigrant communities including universities, K-12 schools, hospitals, labor sites, and seasonal employers like resorts and waterparks to create and reinforce both legal and physical protections for international and undocumented students, visa holders, and workers. That is directly from the Indivisible guide. Check out your state AG’s website, their news or press release section will have updates about what they’ve been up to. Then call them and tell them what you think. I called mine last week, the guy who answered was very pleasant, the call was being recorded and he said the message would be passed along to Keith Ellison. That one call felt like nothing, but remember it’s about flooding the zone. Do it repeatedly, send follow up emails and letters. The more they hear the same message, the louder it will be. Invite your friends over for a phone call and letter writing party with one specific goal or message to your AG, whether the AG is Democrat or Republican. Indivisible has a lot of great guidelines for people in red states as well. Okay that’s the judicial branch: call your AG.

Executive branch: this would be all the executive orders, the DOGE actions, the tom foolery in the cabinet, and more. What can we do to flood this zone? Continue to protest. We need numbers in the streets to voice opposition. Check out 50501, they are always planning their next protest, yes they have done so imperfectly but I’m so sorry I’m going to hold your hand when I tell you this: organizing, it turns out, is really imperfect. Expecting perfection before taking action means nothing will get done. We need people in the streets. Also check out tesla takedown dot com to see where you can attend a protest at a tesla dealership near you. The racket about DOGE has died down but Elon is still clearly interested in using his money to buy our elections. A lot of his wealth is tied up in Tesla, so taking it down would do the whole world a service, frankly. So executive branch: protest.

Legislative branch: you know what I’m going to say. Call your reps. Day and night. Every day. If they’re democrats and you approve of what they’re doing, tell them. If not, tell them. Use 5 calls dot org. They have an app you can download on your phone, put in your location, and then select the issue that matters to you. It will then give you a script, you click the call button, read the script, and that’s it. Just keep doing that. Tell them you will primary them if they don’t fight Trump’s agenda. Flood. The. Zone.

And finally, locally, the Trump tentacles reach to your local government, too. This includes your state governor and legislature, your local election commission, your mayor, your city council, your local elections. Indivisible has a guide, it’s called Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink, I’ll link it below. It is a really great beginner, comprehensive guide to how to wield your power as a constituent at both the local and national level, with specific tips for people who have democrat-controlled states as well. Getting involved locally means knowing what’s happening locally. The best way to do that isn’t necessarily to go to your state legislature website and try to look at all the bills being introduced. Instead, I have found it most helpful to follow the social media of local elected officials. This includes your representatives but some are better than others at social media, so this can include reps you agree with but who don’t represent you. For example, Minnesota state Senator Erin Maye Quade is not my senator but I think she’s cool and she does a good job of alerting people on her instagram or tiktok about important bills and measures and things worth paying attention to. She recently introduced an amendment to block an autism registry in Minnesota, and has said she will be introducing other similar measures soon. In her video she showed the outcome of the vote, I saw my senator had voted in favor, so I called his office to thank him for voting to protect against the creation of autism registries in this state. My Minneapolis city council person is not very responsive or active, but there is another progressive who is, so I follow her Instagram and comment regularly. You don’t have to know every single thing happening on the floor of your state legislature or attend every city council meeting, but tuning in to the people who DO, and then amplifying their work by calling your reps or sharing that social media–either to promote it or to condemn it–goes a long way, because few people are actually paying attention to local stuff now that the federal government is on fire. So any attention that can be paid locally, any calls that can be made, will go even further. So locally: follow your elected reps and others who you agree with in your state, whether that’s on social media or through their email newsletters. Use the issues they’re highlighting to guide your response, and then call your elected officials relentlessly. They need to know we are watching them. We have to flood the zone.

So, to recap, here are the steps for flooding the zone: 1. Call your state attorney general to demand legal action against the Trump agenda and ask the AG to continue to represent your interests against the federal government, as is their duty. 2. Protest–whether that’s a 50501 event, a Tesla takedown event, organizing your own protest, etc. We need people in the streets. 3. Call your federal elected officials relentlessly using the five calls dot org app. And 4. Follow your local elected officials on social media or email newsletters to stay informed about local politics so you can contact your local reps when issues arise that you care about. That’s it.

This isn’t the end all be all answer, but I’ve found a LOT of people are feeling overwhelmed, unsure where to get started, and being a bit perfectionistic about their actions. Like if it’s not THE solution to saving democracy then why bother. The problem is that there is no one solution, it takes small daily actions sustained over time to build a movement, and you have to start somewhere. This is my suggestion for where to start. Just pick one and do it today. And taking small actions will also help you remove yourself from your doom spiral and actually feel some sort of agency and even, perhaps, hope?? Idk, one step at a time.

And if you’re interested in joining MY online community and supporting my work please consider joining me over on Patreon where you’ll get access to all these videos completely ad free and uncensored, plus regular discussions and community building at a time when that feels really hard and not common enough. Patreon dot com slash leeja miller.

Thank you to my multi-platinum patrons Marc, Thomas Orf, Sarah Shelby, Art, David, R_H, L’etranger (Lukus), Joshua Cole, Thomas Johnson, and Tay. Your generosity makes this channel what it is, so thank you!

And if you liked this episode, you’ll like the one from last week about the FCC’s war on the media.

Leeja Miller
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