The America First Policy Institute filed a federal lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta on behalf of the City of El Cajon, challenging the state’s sanctuary policy.
The organization is accusing California’s justice system of refusing to prosecute criminal illegal aliens, handcuffing local law enforcement and placing residents in danger — all in defiance of federal law.
AFPI’s lawsuit argues that the state created a conflict for police, citing a case in El Cajon where police had to choose between breaking state sanctuary law or federal law.
Federal law makes it a federal felony to encourage or induce someone to reside in the U.S. unlawfully and California created its law to do just that, according to the lawsuit.
AFPI said that the Supremacy Clause is clear: “When state and federal law conflict, federal law wins.”
A city council member in El Cajon was told by the California attorney general’s office, according to AFPI, that a police officer could not even conduct a wellness check on a child who may be a victim of human trafficking.
Sacramento told El Cajon Police that it does not want deportations or arrests, and a wellness check on a child would likely violate state law.
“California wrote these laws to defeat federal enforcement, and their own legislators admitted it. When that strategy ends with a police officer being told he can’t check on a potentially trafficked child, it’s a legal and moral emergency, and it’s time for a court to settle it,” said AFPI Vice Chair of Litigation Richard Lawson.
Trump prodded to seek Iran regime change
The Gatestone Institute said it would be unforgivable if President Trump replaces the brutal Islamic dictatorship in Iran with an equally brutal non-Islamic dictatorship.
The foreign policy think tank referenced other U.S. adversaries of the West, including Russia, China and North Korea, as examples of what could happen if the U.S. does not heed its advice, as the White House continues its peace negotiations with Iranian representatives.
“At the height of the violence in mid-January, Trump memorably told the Iranian protesters that ‘HELP IS ON ITS WAY,’ while calling on the anti-regime activists to seize control of your destiny,” Gatestone analysts said in a new report. “Iran is still drawing out negotiations as it reconstructs its nuclear and missile sites.”
It voiced growing concern that Mr. Trump is losing interest in the plight of ordinary Iranians and that he has been saying that he no longer thinks regime change in Iran is the objective, which brings Gatestone to conclude that his message on Iran has “gone wobbly.”
“As Trump has assured the hardliners that there will be no regime change, they know their power is secure — under no threat — so they are under no pressure to comply with Trump’s demands,” Gatestone said. “All they need to do is remove whatever so-called ‘moderates’ might still be around and in their way. There are, in fact, no moderates in the Iranian government, any more than there were in Nazi Germany’s government.”
SEIU dinged for spending on luxury hotels
The Center for Union Facts found that the Service Employees International Union spent heavily on luxury hotels last year.
Hotels visited by the SEIU officials in 2025 include the 4.5-star Royal Sonesta Washington at $500 per night, the four-star Intercontinental San Diego at $400 per night and the four-star Westin St. Francis at $450 per night, according to a review of union filings with the Labor Department.
The most astounding price tag was the more than $1.2 million spent in June at the Salamander hotel in the District of Columbia, according to the Center for Union Facts.
The Salamander is a five-star hotel on the waterfront featured in the Michelin Guidebook. Basic rooms range from $500 a night to $3,500 a night, with suites available.
“At first glance, it is a little unclear what exactly this hotel expense was for. The SEIU doesn’t list any major conferences or conventions in Washington during that time period and only describes the seven-figure expense as ‘support for political activities,’” the group says.
According to its investigation, the SEIU was highly active in its opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was under consideration by the Senate in June 2025.
The SEIU hosted rallies and lobbying trips in Washington related to the law during that month. These included flying or busing in various SEIU members from across the country to advocate against the law.
The union watchdog said that the use of the hotel as a meeting space is “particularly jarring,” because the SEIU’s national headquarters is in Washington and has its own conferencing facility.
“Instead of simply using that space, the union appears to have run up a million-dollar tab splurging on a luxury option,” the center said.
SEIU activists and officials also visited other sites in the District last year and spent $32,806 on “staff meetings and training” at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia. The Michelin Key award-ranked resort has rooms going for $900 per night and is considered even more luxurious than its counterpart in Washington.
“What is certain is that members footed the bill for both of these excursions via their union dues,” says the Center for Union Facts.
The Washington Times reached out to SEIU.
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