What to know about Trump’s executive order on sanctuary cities that could target Philadelphia

Philadelphia and other cities could face federal funding cuts or legal action following President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting so-called sanctuary jurisdictions.

The order, which was signed Monday, makes good on a 2024 campaign promise to punish cities or states that Trump says subvert federal immigration laws. It comes as his administration continues its focus on immigration, drawing ire over controversial deportations and questions about due process.

The Trump administration has not specified which sanctuary cities or states will be affected by this order, and the metrics for how officials are determining impacted jurisdictions remain unknown. There are differing definitions of a sanctuary jurisdiction, but it generally refers to a city or state that purposely does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Philadelphia is considered one of the strongest. The city has won a federal lawsuit over sanctuary, removed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from a law enforcement database, and instructed city employees not to ask about residents’ immigration status. City officials also will not comply with ICE requests to detain prisoners based on immigration status without a warrant.

The order comes as Philadelphia is in the midst of budget talks for fiscal year 2026, and city officials have said they are making preparations for any potential federal funding cuts. Among those preparations is Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s proposed $95 million reserve in the next city budget.

As more details await, here’s what to know about Trump’s executive order and where Philadelphia’s status stands.

The order gives Attorney General Pam Bondi, with the assistance of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, 30 days to publish a list of sanctuary cities and states that they determine “obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”

Bondi and Noem are instructed to notify each of these areas “regarding its defiance of Federal immigration law enforcement and any potential violations of Federal criminal law,” according to the order.

The directive also orders DHS and the attorney general to “develop guidance, rules, or other appropriate mechanisms” for determining eligibility for those receiving federal benefits from private entities in their respective city or state. In addition, Trump also called for the end of what he deems to be favoritism toward immigrant communities, citing in-state tuition as an example.

These jurisdictions could face several consequences for maintaining their sanctuary status, including federal funding cuts. The order directs leaders of executive departments or agencies to work with the Office of Management and Budget to identify “appropriate” federal funds, including grants and contracts, to suspend or terminate.

Federal funding cuts have become a prevalent part of the second Trump administration as the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, upended government-sponsored contracts and grants and the federal workforce. Trump has also used threatened funding cuts as a bargaining chip with states or institutions that he disagrees with.

If the “sanctuary jurisdictions” remain, Trump’s order says, the government will “pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end these violations and bring such jurisdictions into compliance.”

It remains unclear what those legal actions would look like.

The Trump administration believes that cities and states are using “their authority to violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of Federal immigration laws” via sanctuary policies, according to the executive order.

The order accuses these jurisdictions of “obstruction of justice,” “unlawfully harboring or hiring illegal aliens,” “conspiracy to impede Federal law enforcement,” and potentially the RICO Act, which is typically used for individuals who engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, like bribery, extortion, or gambling, in coordination with an enterprise.

The order will likely lead to a court fight. The American Civil Liberties Union says that Trump’s order on sanctuary cities and a second executive order issued Monday on law enforcement have “no legal basis” and that authority on these issues remains with local jurisdictions.

Trump has lost on this issue with Philadelphia before. In 2017, a judge ruled the government cannot withhold grant funding from the city for not complying with federal sanctuary city policies.

Philadelphia is still operating under the 2016 sanctuary city executive order enacted by then-Mayor Jim Kenney, Parker said Monday.

Parker refrained from using the term sanctuary city in speaking about Trump’s executive order Monday. She said she would not be making more detailed comments unless Trump takes action that specifically affects Philadelphia.

The city received $2.2 billion in federal funding in fiscal year 2024. Parker said in an interview last month that the “potential impacts of federal cuts and what they could mean to the city of Philadelphia are grave and extremely concerning.”

City Solicitor Renee Garcia reaffirmed the city’s compliance with the 2016 executive order earlier this year during a City Council hearing on Philadelphia’s preparedness for a second Trump term, with immigration being a large focus.

Garcia said during the hearing in January that the mayor is “laser-focused on safer, cleaner, greener, access to economic opportunity for all. She has made clear that that is for everybody within the city’s borders, whether they are descendants of William Penn or stopping by to see the Liberty Bell.”

Staff writer Jeff Gammage contributed to this article.