The city of Columbus has joined a federal lawsuit that challenges the Trump administration's move to punish so-called "sanctuary cities" by withholding millions in federal funding.
The Trump administration released a sanctuary city list in May that included Columbus even though the city never declared itself a sanctuary city.
Columbus joined the lawsuit, filed in federal court in northern California, with dozens of cities after the Trump administration said it would withhold money and possibly prosecute local officials for failing to comply with new immigration orders.
Columbus says it stands to lose at least $11 million, including money for crime prevention and counterterrorism.
"President Trump’s sanctuary cities executive orders exemplify the administration’s unwillingness to act rationally,” Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said in a statement. “While we pride ourselves on being an open and accepting city, Columbus is not a sanctuary city. We’ve never been one. We comply with federal law. And yet, this administration is still threatening to withhold millions of dollars in funding based on nonsense. That’s why we're fighting back against these attacks.”
The suit asks for injunctions to prevent Trump's orders from being enforced.