The City and County of Denver has filed another lawsuit challenging the Trump administration over threats to withhold funding from so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” that limit local enforcement of federal immigration law.

The city joins close to 50 other jurisdictions in the lawsuit, filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

“Even as President Trump continues to willfully ignore the rule of law by bullying cities into doing his dirty work, Denver will always stay true to our values,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement. “Time and time again, Denver has shown that we enforce the law without fear or favor and work with federal authorities to bring criminals to justice.”

The lawsuit seeks to protect the cities’ constitutional separation of powers.

Broadly speaking, a “sanctuary city” refers to a jurisdiction that discourages or prevents local law enforcement from reporting an individual’s immigration status to federal authorities.

According to court documents, the plaintiffs assert their local policy choices “are not designed to, and do not, interfere with federal law enforcement, but instead ensure that all residents of plaintiffs’ communities — regardless of immigration status—feel safe reporting crimes, going to schools, seeking medical care, and accessing critical public services.”

The plaintiffs also assert that such policies preserve scarce local resources, as “the federal government has made clear that the local agency bears the financial burden of the detention.”

“Complying with detainer requests requires municipalities to commit scarce law enforcement personnel and resources to track and respond to requests, detain individuals in holding cells, and supervise and feed individuals during the prolonged detention,” the legal complaint states.

This is Denver’s fourth lawsuit against the Trump ddministration.

Last month, a federal court granted Denver a preliminary injunction in another lawsuit against the Trump administration over threats to withhold millions of dollars in federal transportation grant funding.

“Denver follows all laws – federal, state, and local – and it should not be so much to ask the White House to do the same,” said Johnston. “We appreciate the court’s swift and precise ruling protecting the federal funding that Denverites deserve.”

In its ruling, the court said the Trump administration “is likely acting in violation of the Separation of Powers principle as related to Congress’s role in appropriating funding and that the Trump administration has failed to provide reasonable explanations for the new funding conditions.”

Denver also joined Chicago and Pima County, Arizona in seeking to recover $24 million in FEMA dollars allocated for the purpose of sheltering and assisting migrants.

During his first term in office, Trump sought to compel local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws by withholding federal funds.

The federal courts struck down the proposed funding restrictions.

On the first day of his second term, Trump signed multiple executive orders directing his administration to withhold federal payments to what it calls “sanctuary jurisdictions.”

Johnston, along with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and New York Mayor Eric Adams, later came into into the crosshairs of the president and the Department of Justice and were each summoned to appear before Congress to answer questions about “sanctuary” policies and their response to the illegal immigration crisis, spilling from the southern U.S. border into America’s interior cities.

Denver also sued the Trump administration after funding for a counterterrorism program called “Securing the Cities” was frozen.

After the lawsuit’s filing, the funding was reinstated and the city was reimbursed.

“We will continue to stand up for what Denverites believe in and fight for the federal funding that our residents deserve,” Johnston said.