According to President Donald Trump, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey endorsed "a very serious violation of the Law" last week when Frey said that "Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce federal immigration law."
But it is Trump whose understanding of the law is seriously impaired. Under both constitutional principle and judicial precedent, state and local authorities may decline to participate in the enforcement of a federal regulatory scheme. So-called sanctuary city policies that either limit or prohibit local enforcement of federal immigration law are themselves lawful.
