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U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick blocked President Trumps attempt to defund sanctuary cities on Tuesday, setting a precedent for actions in response to the current administrations conservative platform. The nationwide ruling comes months after Trumps January executive order on immigration, which demanded that the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security block cities from receiving funds if they refused to cooperate with the controversial order. Orricks ruling further reminds us of the courts rejection of Trumps previous executive order for a seven-nation Muslim travel ban back in February.

According to theNew York Times, thecourt ruled that Trumps move to tie billions of dollars in federal funding to immigration enforcement overstepped his executive powers, since the powers of spending are placed within the responsibilities of Congress. Orricks decision is a temporary one, until the constitutional backing of Trumps executive order is further checked and digested, but it is valid nationwide.

The U.S. courts progress is living proof that the Trump administrations often racist and ignorant plans are supported neither by a large percentage of the American public nor by the Constitution. Many times, the judiciary fails in upholding equality and justice, regarding the loophole-filled lobbying process as well as systemic issues such as racial profiling and mass incarceration. In this case, however, District Judge Orrick of San Francisco blocked a large part of the administrations conservative immigration policy before it had been brought to fruition.

This is win for many proponents of immigration and immigration reform, and may signify a growing understanding among the public through a constitutional and social lens. No longer is immigration reform a debate between the left and the right. The San Francisco case ruled that the federal command of the city to work with immigration agents broke the trust between local authorities and immigrants, who the city argued would become less likely to report crimes or serve as witnesses," The New York Times reported.

According to CNN, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus claimed on Tuesday that the administration would take action to appeal Orricks ruling. In a late night statement, the White House called Orricks ruling, an egregious overreach by a single, unelected district judge.

Despite the backlash from the White House over Orricks ruling, the judge explained that the ruling does not take the power away from the White House to create its own definition of a sanctuary city, nor deny the government the ability to enforce conditions on federal grants. Additionally, the Justice Department vowed it would continue to uphold requirements for grants and further comply with the legal system.

As LMU students, we are all called to be global citizens, to uphold Jesuit values and fight for the integrity of humanity in the face of adversaries who threaten to demoralize those around us. With Sacred Heart Chapel named as a safe space for undocumented individuals, it is important to recognize the significance of this court ruling and understand the implications that may have occurred on our own campus had Trumps intentions been realized. While it is comforting to know that our legal system prevented racist and extremist values from informing national monetary policy, we must be weary of future legislation that could threaten the integrity of all Americans regardless of citizenship or documentation and actively fight to prevent it from coming to fruition.

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Board Ed: Global citizens in the age of immigration reform - Los Angeles Loyolan (subscription)

Following a raucous town hall meeting in Denair on April 17, Congressman Jeff Denham met a much more subdued crowd Wednesday morning, April 19 as he, state Assemblyman Heath Flora and county Supervisor Kristin Olsen highlighted the need for commonsense immigration reform at a roundtable discussion, addressing the critical role that immigrants play in small business, agriculture and other industries here in the Central Valley.

At the panel hosted by immigration reform group FWD.us and the Central Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the three politicians were also joined by Congregations Building Community Executive Director Homero Mejia and Alexis Angulo, Senior Class President at Gustine High School and DACA recipient.

Angulo is a recipient of former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) 2012 immigration policy, which allows some undocumented immigrants, known as "dreamers," who were brought to the United States as children to receive deferred action from deportation and eligibility for work permits.

Angulo currently boasts a 4.2 GPA, which has earned him a full-ride scholarship to Dartmouth University where he hopes to study electrical engineering before eventually working for NASA.

"Your story is absolutely incredible," Flora told Angulo. "I'm proud that you're on this panel because you have lived this and you are the expert in this because this is your life."

Dreamers like Angulo have lived in fear of deportation since President Donald Trump took office. He has promised to crack down on illegal immigration and deport those who skirted immigration law. Although Trump has promised to protect dreamers, the recent deportation of a dreamer in Southern California has sparked concern among those protected by DACA. Maria Harrington, a teacher in the audience at the panel, expressed the fear that not only her immigrant students feel under the new administration, but the uncertainty she feels as well.

"I feel that my voice needs to be heard," she said, standing from her chair after both Denham and Olsen stated the climate surrounding immigration and deportations has not changed from the Obama era. "I have a lot of students that are flat-out afraid...It already happened that a DACA student got deported and you're saying don't be scared? Even me, as a teacher...I'm shaking in my boots."

There are around 11,000 DACA-eligible individuals in Stanislaus and Merced counties, and nearly 800,000 dreamers are currently protected nationwide under DACA. Removing them from the workforce would cost the United States $433.4 billion in GDP loss over a decade.

During the panel, Denham highlighted the need to pass bipartisan legislation, rather than an executive order like DACA, which can be eliminated by a new president, in order to protect dreamers from deportation. Comprehensive immigration reform has not emerged from Congress in over 30 years, he said.

"Congress must lead in fixing our broken immigration system, with an important part of the plan being a path to legal status for Dreamers who were brought here as children," said Denham. "These hardworking young people are already part of our communities, and they deserve a fair and thoughtful solution that will bring certainty to their lives."

One such way Denham is trying to help, he explained, is through his ENLIST Act, which promises legal permanent residence to Dreamers who serve in the military, as well as through co-sponsoring the BRIDGE Act and helping to design the RAC Act - both of which aim to provide protection for Dreamers.

"(The ENLIST Act) doesn't solve all of our problems, but it is one small piece of the overall immigration reform that not only needs to get resolved but allows us to start the conversation," said Denham. "If you can agree that Dreamers should be able to serve in the military, that allows you to start the conversation with, Okay, well what else?'"

Dreamers that obey the law and continue to be contributing members of society should be granted legal status through immigration reform, said Flora.

"The immigrants, the folks that come here to better their lives - we want them here. We need them to understand we want them here," said Flora. "We want them to stay here, we want them to be successful as Americans and it is our job to make sure we set up a system that works for everyone."

Real reform happens during discussions like Wednesday's, said Flora, not in Sacramento or Washington, D.C., but in the communities where those who are affected can make their voices heard. Olsen underscored the positive impact that immigrants have on the local economy. Immigrant residents in the Modesto area are 20 percent more likely to be entrepreneurs than native-born residents, and in 2014 paid more than $296 million in state and local taxes.

"Our economic success in the Valley is very closely connected to having an immigration system that works," said Olsen. "There have been numerous studies done showing that if immigration was cut off, how our agriculture communities in particular would survive and it's not a pretty picture."

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Local officials talk immigration reform - Ceres Courier

Sacramento Bee (blog)

Trumpies trap California politicians on immigration Sacramento Bee (blog) California's two-plus million undocumented immigrants are overwhelmingly peaceful and productive members of society and they, the state and the nation need immigration reform and pathways to citizenship. The eagerness of both sides to trade fusillades ... and more »

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Trumpies trap California politicians on immigration - Sacramento Bee (blog)

New York Times

With Ally in Oval Office, Immigration Hard-Liners Ascend to Power New York Times Mr. Trump's senior White House adviser, Stephen Miller, worked tirelessly to defeat immigration reform as a staff member for Senator Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general. Gene P. Hamilton, who worked on illegal immigration as Mr. Sessions's counsel ... and more »

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With Ally in Oval Office, Immigration Hard-Liners Ascend to Power - New York Times

Former President Brack Obama picked a heck of a time to make his first public appearance. Obama returned to the limelight as Congress barrels toward a shutdown over the border wall and both sides resume their bickering about immigration reform. His advice? Skip the name calling.

It's hard to argue with Obama when he says "passion and sometimes misinformation" have distracted from honest debate. But it's equally difficult to assume opponents of the current White House are even capable of taking his advice.

Since Obama exited the Oval Office, charges of xenophobia against Trump and his supporters have become commonplace. That sort of knee-jerk ad-hominem has become ubiquitous and makes any sort of real discussion impossible.

"It's important for those who support like I do, immigration reform and pathways to citizenship for those who are here," Obama insisted, "not to assume everyone who has trouble with the current immigration system is automatically a racist."

But Obama's advice, his call for a basic benchmark of civility, seems terribly out of date. There's little chance that liberal pundits and protestors will listen. They're too busy breathlessly tweeting and endlessly marching against an administration that embodies all of their fears.

After all, how can a movement that labels itself the resistance be expected to negotiate in good faith with a president they've long written off as a fascist?

Perhaps Obama missed all of this. Maybe during his three months of vacation, the former president didn't keep a close eye on the state of American politics. He probably doesn't know how quickly protestors turn into rioters and student assemblies transform into screaming mobs.

So if Obama actually wants to help restore decency to political discourse, he needs to offer more than a little admonishment about name calling.

Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.

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Too little too late? Obama urges supporters not to label opponents of immigration reform 'racist' - Washington Examiner