Since January, cities across the nation have been working to interpret a new, uncertain, and often overwhelming federal policy landscape. At the Summer 2025 Meeting, city leaders came together to discuss how they’re protecting the health and safety of their communities in the face of reduced federal support and rapidly changing federal guidance that often contradicts longstanding precedent and democratic values. Below are the key takeaways from that panel discussion:
Communicate early and often with your community and city staff about federal orders and actions that affect your city, and offer avenues for residents to ask questions.
This spring, the City of Albuquerque launched Defend ABQ, a website that lists and tracks executive actions that affect the City including Federal Executive Orders and funding rollbacks. The website articulates what issue areas and programs are at risk, the specific federal orders that put them at risk, and what the City is doing to respond. This tracker has helped to establish clear communication with residents and build trust during a time when fears about ICE raids and the loss of federal funding for programs that have long supported vulnerable communities are heightened. If your city is looking for a way to track Executive Orders, this tracker from Brownstein is a great resource.
In July, Albuquerque announced that residents could call the city’s non-emergency line to verify if ICE agents are operating in the city. This policy helps to increase communication and trust as reports of ICE impersonators have increased over the last six months. The City also hosts virtual town halls to provide residents with opportunities to share concerns and ask questions.
Equally important is establishing protocol for city staff to learn and disseminate information. Think proactively about who should be notified and how they should be notified if an ICE raid happens in your community or if federal funding is canceled. In San Francisco, the City Attorney’s Office serves as a “nerve center” that both interprets and coordinates responses to federal orders. As mayor, think about which offices or departments in your city have the capacity and expertise to coordinate responses.
If your city is hosting an event, work with your local agencies to designate and clearly label public and non-public areas within spaces (ex: a foyer versus a private office). ICE needs a criminal warrant to enter an area designated as private whereas public spaces offer less protection. Make sure city staff are familiar with buildings and which areas within them are considered “public.”
Find ways to reaffirm your city’s values.
Mayors can use their political authority to create or sign on to statements reaffirming their city’s values and commitments. In response to federal executive orders, Mayor Keller has signed three executive orders of his own reaffirming the city’s commitments to being a welcoming city, protecting public lands, and to environmental justice.
If possible, join or support lawsuits.
Cities are facing a dilemma: do they risk giving up their federal funding or compromise their values and change their policies to comply with the new administration? There is a third option: litigation. The City of San Francisco and the Public Rights Project (PRP), a national organization that works with cities to provide litigation support, legal representation, and training to protect civil rights, are leading the charge on many lawsuits against the federal administration to protect federal funding and public rights. With each passing month of unprecedented actions by the federal administration, more and more cities are joining together in lawsuits, and there is strength in numbers and efficiencies in coordination.
For mayors in a council-manager form of government or mayors who can’t get the support from their council or community to join litigation, there are still opportunities to participate. The title of Mayor carries weight. As an individual, you can submit a comment during the comment period on a proposed rule or order, you can submit or sign on to amicus briefs, and you can release statements from your office that can help build the record.
Future considerations:
Shortly after we convened, the Trump Administration placed the Washington DC Metro Police under federal control and deployed the National Guard to the city, citing out of control crime, despite data showing that crime is trending down.
To prepare for the possibility that the National Guard might be deployed to your city, all mayors, especially those who suspect they will be targeted, should proactively compile their crime statistics and hone their messaging on crime trends in their community. Be clear about the work your city is doing to invest in violence prevention and why funding that work is important. Additionally, the ACLU is supporting and partnering with local and state leaders to protect against federal overreach.
Additional resources:
- The Public Rights Project offers free legal support to cities across the country. Over the last six months, they’ve helped to coordinate at least six major lawsuits challenging the federal administration’s attempts to terminate federal grants. Reach out to PRP today to learn how they can support your city.
- The ACLU has a Firewall for Freedom campaign specifically for local governments. Get in touch to protect your communities.
- The Environmental Protection Network has a federal funding protection initiative where they offer support to federal environmental grantees dealing with funding freezes, terminations, audits, and investigations.
- Lawyers for Good Government offers pro bono legal services in the areas of reproductive justice and health equity, immigrant’s rights, climate change, and environmental justice, and racial justice.
- This policy memo from Local Progress provides policies and best practices for local officials to protect their constituents’ right to protest.