The resistance against Trump’s worst instincts goes to the courtroom.

Early in the first Trump administration, there was a lot of talk in Democratic-leaning Monterey County about “the resistance.” There were protests and marches and political strategy sessions.

It’s dry and far less energetic than a protest, but during Trump 2.0, the resistance is taking place in the courtroom. Early in 2025, California lawmakers set aside a $25 million legal fund to fight back against Trumpism. In the year-and-a-half since, the California Department of Justice has filed 82 lawsuits challenging various federal policies. So far, those suits have led to 45 court orders granting early relief, 21 final court orders and eight additional cases in which the Trump administration backed down before a hearing, according to an analysis by California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister.

He and Attorney General Rob Bonta calculate that those lawsuits to date have saved at least $207 billion for Californians in the form of preserving funds for child care, food assistance, transportation, emergency preparedness, clean energy, public safety and more. “I’m incredibly proud of my team that has worked around the clock on behalf of Californians, pulling countless all-nighters along the way,” Bonta said in a statement.

In 2026, this is part of what the resistance looks like: lawyers pulling all-nighters.

The County of Monterey joined the latest legal challenge, taking a lead role in friend-of-the-court briefs in a federal case, County of Santa Clara v. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, filed on June 10. Represented by the Public Rights Project, the County of Monterey leads a group of 26 cities and counties across the region that are seeking to block ICE from building a detention center near Gilroy on the Holsclaw Property.

Already, the lawsuit is bearing fruit. On July 13, the parties acknowledged, “As a compromise, defendants have voluntarily paused construction and development activities at the Holsclaw Property and have agreed to maintain that voluntary pause until Sept. 9.”

(A hearing on the request from Santa Clara County – and all the other supporting agencies – for a preliminary injunction blocking construction is scheduled for Sept. 8.)

“It broadcasts a clear threat to local communities.”

“Research unsurprisingly demonstrates that an increase in detention capacity correlates with an increase in enforcement activity in surrounding communities,” according to the friend-of-the-court brief filed on July 29. “That increase, in turn, produces significant economic harms, including reduced labor force participation, decreased business activity and lost local tax revenue. Such effects would be particularly damaging in the Bay Area and Central Coast, where immigrants play a vital role across multiple sectors within local economies…

“The location of the Holding Facility also matters: situated directly between agricultural fields, it broadcasts a clear threat to local farmworking communities.”

Of more than 90,000 farmworkers in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, at least half are believed to be undocumented. More than 477,000 undocumented immigrants live in the Bay Area. The number of people personally impacted is massive.

The friends of the court, or amici curiae, allege the federal government failed to adhere to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act because local authorities were never alerted to the project. (It was outstanding reporting by San Jose Spotlight that brought it to light.)

“The federal government not only failed to inform plaintiffs about the holding facility – it’s unclear they ever tried,” the brief states. “Instead, through piecemeal public statements from DHS officials, amici have had to assemble loose bits of information by which to respond to the concerns and objections of our constituents.”

It’s procedural stuff, and the brief largely takes aim at economic harms. It’s dry, but in the name of human dignity.

“Monterey County will not stand by silently when federal actions threaten the safety, stability and trust of our families,” said Wendy Root Askew, chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. “By uniting 26 cities and counties, we are sending an undeniable message that local autonomy and community trust cannot be sidelined by federal enforcement mandates.”

SARA RUBIN is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com.