The decision by a federal judge to block the Department of Justice from withholding $1.5 million in law-enforcement funds from Philadelphia will likely face an appeal, Professor Anil Kalhan told the Philadelphia Inquirer in an article published on Nov. 15.

U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson issued a preliminary injunction supporting Philadelphia’s refusal to pledge full cooperation with federal authorities on immigration policy. The ruling rebuffed DOJ efforts to withhold money from Philadelphia for refusing to actively help federal agents identify and arrest people who immigrated without required documentation.

Kalhan said the federal government is almost certain to appeal Baylson’s decision.

“It’s a preliminary win — these kinds of conflicts are going to keep re-emerging for a while,” he said. “This tees up the question: ‘What are the limits of what the executive branch can do on its own?’”

Kalhan is an authority on immigration law who has published widely on the topic and chairs the New York City Bar Association’s International Human Rights Committee.