San Francisco and Santa Clara County are suing the Trump administration for threatening to withhold federal funding from local jurisdictions with sanctuary policies that protect undocumented residents from deportation.

The Trump administration's plan to cut billions of dollars from National Institutes of Health funding would devastate California universities, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and fellow attorneys general from 21 other states said in a federal lawsuit filed Monday.

The Trump administration is making moves to withhold U.S. Department of Justice funds from cities and states with "sanctuary" laws the administration claims thwart federal efforts to enforce immigration laws.

San Francisco and Santa Clara counties are joined by three other cities and counties in accusing the Trump administration of illegally coercing them to carry out federal responsibilities.

The threats of defunding are especially alarming for cities like San Francisco, where services such as Bay Area Rapid Transit are starting at a fiscal cliff. San Francisco and Santa Clara could potentially lose billions of dollars in funding for necessary services, said Chiu and Tony LoPresti, who represents Santa Clara County.

A Bay Area county is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship through an executive order. On Thursday, the County of Santa Clara filed a lawsuit to Trump’s executive order,

The Trump administration announced plans to freeze federal grants, which could have widespread impact in the nine-county region.

A coalition of cities and counties in blue states have sued the Trump administration over alleged threats and "illegal targeting" of sanctuary cities.