Kate Munsch/Reuters
San Francisco has asked a federal judge to block President Trump’s order threatening to deny federal funding to sanctuary cities that don’t actively pursue undocumented immigrants. City authorities on Wednesday asked U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick for a preliminary injunction against the president’s executive order until a lawsuit against it can be heard. The city’s motion argued that Trump’s order infringes on the sovereignty of cities and exceeds the president’s authority. City Attorney Dennis Herrera described Trump as a “bully” for threatening to withhold federal funding for public aid programs. “These entitlement programs are not the president’s to take away from those in need, and San Francisco is not one to back down from a bully,” Herrera said in comments carried by the Los Angeles Times. The city warned that it could lose $1.2 billion in aid for social programs if Trump follows through with his threat. The motion filed with Judge Orrick asks the court to rule that the city’s sanctuary policies comply with federal law. Authorities in San Francisco are prohibited from asking individuals who report crimes about their immigration status, or detaining undocumented immigrants for their status during a minor crime. San Francisco is one of several local governments to seek to block Trump’s Jan. 25 order, which penalizes cities that don’t comply with the federal government’s requests on capturing undocumented immigrants. A hearing on the city’s motion has been scheduled for April 5.