The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on sanctuary policies on Monday when it refused to take up a case challenging a California law that prevented local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

How California’s sanctuary laws protect immigrants from ICE

The Trump administration had asked the Supreme Court in October to review two provisions of the Values Act in particular. One prevented state and local law enforcement officials, except for those who work in correctional facilities, from providing information about detainees’ release dates or home addresses to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless it’s already public information. That information had previously allowed ICE to track down and detain immigrants upon their release from state or local law enforcement custody, which in many cases led to their deportation.

The other provision prevented immigrants who have not been convicted of a crime from being transferred to immigration custody absent a court order, with some exceptions. In the past, law enforcement officials could directly hand over any detainees suspected of immigration violations to ICE.

The Values Act also prevented police and sheriffs from inquiring about anyone’s immigration status, arresting people only for immigration violations and holding immigrants in jail longer just so that immigration agents can take them into custody.

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