Two cities in Massachusetts are suing the Trump administration for “coercing” sanctuary jurisdictions into participating with mass deportation efforts.
Chelsea and Somerville, both sanctuary cities, filed suit in federal court on Monday over concerns that the administration will “strip” them of federal funds and prosecute them for not participating in federal immigration enforcement.
“The federal administration’s threatened defunding would undermine Plaintiffs’ efforts to enhance the safety of their own communities through well-considered law enforcement efforts and policy judgments and would violate the U.S. Constitution,” the complaint reads. The suit seeks an immediate injunction against the federal government.
They argue the federal government’s actions are illegal under the Tenth and Fifth amendments, separation of powers, and a spending clause within the Constitution.
Two weeks ago, the Trump administration sued Chicago over its sanctuary policies. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has vowed to significantly axe funds to any municipality that doesn’t cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump has also issued several executive orders threatening to stop the flow of federal funds, and the department of transportation said it will de-prioritize transit funding to sanctuary cities.
“It is quite clear that all sanctuary cities have been targeted,” said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for Lawyers for Civil Rights, which is representing Somerville and Chelsea in their lawsuit.
Sellstom referred back to when the organization sued the prior Trump administration over funding, and the courts largely “sided with the cities” on Tenth amendment and spending clause arguments.
“The president cannot unilaterally impose additional conditions that Congress has not approved. So the courts were very strong in favor of sanctuary cities during Trump 1.0, and we fully expect that that will be the case this time around as well,” he said.
The policies put in place by Somerville and Chelsea years ago are about “building trust” with the immigrant community, he said.
Immigrants often feel uncomfortable reporting crimes to police due to concerns about being deported, and both city’s officials have long believed that being sanctuary jurisdictions will allow victims and witnesses to report crimes if they know local police are not working in concert with ICE.
“Public safety is the top priority for the City of Chelsea—we cannot afford to have our residents fear reporting crimes or engaging with local law enforcement, as this undermines the safety of everyone in our community,” said Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez in a statement.
Maltez also told GBH News that fear of immigration enforcement has led to a decline in foot traffic downtown.
“The day after inauguration, we received a lot of reports of immigration officials being at the Market Basket in Chelsea,” he said. “And honestly, it created a lot of fear in our community. ... We hear from our residents almost every day about how how they are scared of walking in our streets.”
Both municipalities have large immigrant populations. Approximately 45% of Chelsea’s residents are foreign-born persons, the highest percentage for any city in Massachusetts, according to census data . For Somerville, it’s about 24%.
Chelsea received about $14.5 million in federal funding for fiscal year 2024, including for education and a downtown reconstruction project. During that same fiscal year, Somerville received approximately $19.4 million in federal funds to support a variety of community and public safety services, including roadway safety initiatives, homeless prevention services, and efforts to address and reduce youth tobacco usage and alcohol consumption.
“We know politicized withholding of federal funding threatens the health and safety of all residents be it your neighbor who relies on Meals on Wheels for dinner or your kids who need road investments for a safer walk to school,” said Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “We urge the Administration to honor our Constitution and let us serve our communities as we know is best. This isn’t something you should have to fight for in court—but we will.”
Somerville has been considered a sanctuary city since 1987, and Chelsea similarly in 2007. Somerville reaffirmed its commitment as a sanctuary cities this year.
