After four years of uncontrolled crisis at the nation’s southern border under the Biden administration, President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda has inspired strong reactions both from those who support illegal immigration and those who wish to see mass deportations. In California, for example, one city is suing the state and its Democratic officials for “protecting dangerous illegal aliens.”

Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles, and America First Legal filed a federal lawsuit last week against the Golden State as well as Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), challenging California’s “sanctuary” laws shielding illegal immigrants from deportation. The suit argues that California’s “sanctuary” laws violate federal immigration law and pose “a clear and present danger to the health, safety and welfare of the City of Huntington Beach.”

The lawsuit notes that California has the largest illegal immigrant population of any state at over 2,600,000 as of 2022, which has yielded a 15% increase in crime rates in the state, especially violent crimes. “Sanctuary” laws, the suit continues, have made the state a safe haven for violent criminal gangs, including MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. “Data shows that the flow of mass illegal immigration creates human trafficking, including increasing a market in the United States for human trafficking,” the suit reads.

“Protecting the City’s 200,000 residents from crime and lawlessness is of the greatest import to, and of the highest order for, Huntington Beach’s City leaders and its Police Department,” the lawsuit states. It continues, “California’s Sanctuary State Law not only limits the ability of City officials, including Huntington Beach Police personnel, to engage fully in effective law enforcement practices, but it directs City officials, including Huntington Beach Police personnel, to violate U.S. Federal law…” The suit clarifies, “The State cannot force the City to violate U.S. Federal immigration laws that both the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court have held preempt related State laws under the Supremacy Clause.”

California’s “sanctuary” laws, which have been on the books since 2017, prohibit state or local law enforcement from investigating an individual’s immigration status or cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the lawsuit, the prohibition against honoring ICE detainers has resulted in nearly 600 convicted criminals being released into the Huntington Beach area, including many who were later rearrested for violent crimes.

Meanwhile, the federal prosecutor who oversees the district which includes Huntington Beach has reported that his office has filed almost as many illegal immigration-related charges in the past month as it did during the entire four years of Joe Biden’s presidency. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Joseph McNally shared in an interview that his office has already charged 126 illegal immigrants for illegally reentering the U.S. after having been previously removed. During Biden’s four-year presidency, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California filed illegal reentry charges against 128 illegal immigrants. Those who were charged in February include child sex predators and killers, many of whom have been deported four times or more.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is enforcing long-standing immigration laws, and illegal aliens who defy lawful removal orders by returning to this nation will be prosecuted,” McNally stated. He continued, “These charges promote respect for the immigration laws. The individuals charged over the past week include sex offenders, narcotics dealers, violent criminals, and others who pose a danger to the public.” The federal prosecutor also observed that California’s “sanctuary” laws make it difficult to identify and prosecute illegal immigrants or coordinate deportation efforts with ICE.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, deportation efforts being carried out by ICE have been plagued by “leaks.” Plans for deportation raids in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Aurora, Colorado have been leaked to the press and, in some cases, to criminal gangs like Tren de Aragua, allowing gang members to evade capture. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan have both pledged to identify and prosecute those responsible for the leaks. Previously, the two have indicated that some of the leaks may be coming from within the FBI.

While investigations into the leaks are still ongoing, Noem announced Friday that at least two of the leakers within the DHS have been identified. “We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done, and we’re going to continue to do all we can to keep America safe,” she said in a video statement. In an accompanying social media post, she added, “These individuals face up to 10 years in federal prison. We will find and root out all leakers. They will face prison time & we will get justice for the American people.” Noem explained in a subsequent interview that there are “leakers all throughout this government,” not just in DHS.

In response to Trump’s immigration agenda and deportation operations, Democrats have doubled down on their support for illegal immigrants. In addition to enacting and enforcing “sanctuary” laws, some Democrats have gone so far as to suggest that illegal immigration isn’t actually illegal. For example, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) claimed in a recent interview that entering the U.S. illegally is “not a crime.” She added that Republicans “say things like ‘the illegals,’ and that they broke the law coming in. But what they’re not telling the American people is that it is a civil violation. It is not a criminal violation to enter the country illegally. It’s not. It’s not criminal. It’s not a crime.”

According to Section VIII of the U.S. Code, however, improper entry into the U.S. is a federal misdemeanor crime.