SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on the U.S. Justice Department lawsuit suing California over so-called sanctuary laws (all times local):
12:15 p.m.
The mayor of Oakland, California, responded to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions by repeating the “How dare you?” phrase he used after she warned of a recent federal immigration raid.
Sessions criticized Mayor Libby Schaaf in a speech Wednesday to law enforcement officials after he sued California over laws that restrict cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities.
Afterward, she said of Sessions: “How dare you” vilify members of the community, distract people from a broken immigration system that breaks up families and distort the reality of declining violent crime in a “sanctuary city” like Oakland.
Schaaf issued an unusual public warning last month about an immigration operation in Northern California.
Sessions said, “How dare you needlessly endanger the lives of law enforcement just to promote your radical open borders agenda?”
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11:50 a.m.
Demonstrators blocked traffic on a busy street but were peaceful as they protested U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to sue California over laws that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Sacramento police say nobody was arrested in connection with the protests Wednesday outside a hotel where Sessions spoke to California law enforcement officials.
Several Democratic elected officials joined demonstrators and spoke to the crowd with a bullhorn. They were drowned out sometimes by protesters with louder speakers angling for a more aggressive confrontation with Sessions.
A line of police and private security guards blocked access to the hotel.
Protesters say they wanted to send a message to Sessions that Californians support immigrants and won’t cooperate with immigration policies they view as racist.
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10 a.m.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has denounced U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for speaking in the state about a lawsuit over policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Brown told reporters shortly after Session’s speech to law enforcement officials Wednesday that it was unprecedented for him to “act more like Fox News than a law enforcement officer.”
The Democrat accused Sessions of lying and of trying to appease President Donald Trump. Brown says the actions are about dividing America.
Earlier, Sessions said the Justice Department sued California because state laws are preventing federal immigration agents from doing their jobs.
Sessions strongly criticized Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for her unusual public warning recently of an operation by federal immigration officers. Brown wouldn’t comment on that.
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8:35 a.m.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is telling California, “We have a problem.”
Sessions told law enforcement officers at a conference in Sacramento Wednesday that the Justice Department sued California because state laws are preventing federal immigration agents from doing their jobs.
California leaders strongly deny that claim.
Sessions strongly criticized Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for her recent unusual public warning that an operation by federal immigration officers was imminent. He claims 800 “wanted criminals” eluded arrests as a result.
Sessions says California’s laws are unconstitutional and a “plain violation of common sense.”
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8:02 a.m.
Dozens of demonstrators have gathered in Sacramento, California, to protest an appearance by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The protest Wednesday comes a day after Sessions announced the Trump administration is suing the state over several laws that restrict government authorities and private businesses from cooperating with federal immigration agents.
Demonstrators are blocking traffic outside a hotel where Sessions will deliver a speech to law enforcement officials. The protesters are chanting “stand up, fight back” and “no justice no peace.”
There is a heavy presence of police on horses and bicycles and a helicopter overhead.
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11:07 p.m.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is taking the fight over the nation’s immigration policy directly to California by suing to block state laws that extend protections to people living in the U.S. illegally.
He is expected to speak to law enforcement officials in the state’s capital Wednesday, just hours after the U.S. Justice Department filed suit - the most aggressive move yet in the Trump administration’s push to force so-called sanctuary cities and states to cooperate with immigration authorities.
The lawsuit challenges California laws that bar police from asking people about their citizenship status or participating in federal immigration enforcement activities. The suit filed in federal court in Sacramento says the laws are unconstitutional and have kept federal agents from doing their jobs.
California officials remain defiant and say they are on firm legal footing.
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