Trump administration sues New York City over 'sanctuary city' policies
The Trump administration on Thursday sued New York City over its “sanctuary city” policies, arguing they are obstructing the government from enforcing immigration law and contributed to the recent shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer.
The federal lawsuit is the latest in a series of suits brought by the Justice Department targeting state or city policies seen as interfering with immigration enforcement.
“New York City has released thousands of criminals on the streets to commit violent crimes against law-abiding citizens due to sanctuary city policies,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a news release. “If New York City won’t stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will.”
The lawsuit — which also names Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and numerous other city officials and departments — targets policies that include barring city law enforcement from honoring civil immigration detainers by holding people in custody past their release date.
Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Adams, said the mayor “supports the essence” of the city’s policies but has urged the City Council “to reexamine them to ensure we can effectively work with the federal government to make our city safer” when it comes to dealing with “violent criminals.” She added: “So far, the Council has refused.”
A representative for the City Council did not immediately return a request for comment.
The suit comes after Trump officials on Monday blamed the city’s sanctuary policies for the shooting of a Customs and Border Protection officer in a Manhattan park over the weekend. The officer was off duty and not in uniform at the time.
Authorities have said the two men apprehended in connection with Saturday’s robbery-gone-wrong have been arrested a number of times since they entered the country illegally from the Dominican Republic in recent years. One of the men had been released following a 2024 arrest despite an active detainer, according to the lawsuit.
Police say the 42-year-old officer had been sitting with a woman in a park beneath the George Washington Bridge when two men approached on a moped. The officer, who has not been named, drew his service weapon and exchanged gunfire with one of the men. The officer was shot in the face and arm while the suspect was hit in the groin and leg.
The lawsuit says New York City's policies violate the supremacy clause of the Constitution by interfering with the enforcement of federal law. Similar lawsuits have been filed in recent months against New York state; Colorado; Rochester, New York; Los Angeles; and elsewhere.
“New York City has long been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing this country’s immigration laws,” the lawsuit says. “Its history as a sanctuary city dates back to 1989, and its efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement have only intensified since.”
It says city policies limiting cooperation and information sharing with federal agents conflict with federal law.
New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman said the city “has no obligation to redirect its resources to take on federal immigration enforcement, let alone the cruel and lawless deportation campaign the Trump regime is waging.”
“New York City’s decades-old, bipartisan sanctuary laws have made our city safer, supported our economy, strengthened our communities, and made it easier for our people to access vital services," Lieberman said.
