The ruling is a setback for Trump, the first defeat in a series of similar lawsuits the Justice Department filed against states and cities that have adopted sanctuary policies that limit their employees’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Other suits have been filed against cities in California, New Jersey and New York.

A U.S. district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against the state of Illinois and multiple jurisdictions over their sanctuary laws.

On Feb. 5, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a relatively terse 23-page complaint accusing the combined governments and officials of violating the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit alleged the "so-called" sanctuary policies at issue provide non-citizens "safe havens from federal law enforcement detection."