Trump Administration Sues New York Over Sanctuary Policies For Undocumented Immigrants

The Trump administration is broadening its fight against so-called sanctuary policies by suing the state of New York for impeding federal efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.

Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled the lawsuit Wednesday at a frenetic press conference, her first since being sworn in last week. She accused the Empire State of endangering the public by interfering with federal law enforcement’s ability to track down and arrest violent people subject to deportation.

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today,” Bondi declared. “If you don't comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable.”

Bondi took particular aim at a New York law that she said requires state officials to notify an undocumented immigrant if a federal agency requests information about them.

“It's tipping off an illegal alien, and it's unconstitutional, and that's why we filed this lawsuit,” the attorney general said.

The suit against New York follows a similar suit the Justice Department filed against Illinois last week, before Bondi’s confirmation. That case alleges that the state violates federal law by impeding communication between local law enforcement and their federal counterparts.

Details of the new suit were not immediately available, but court records show it was filed in federal court in Albany and names as defendants the state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder.

James released a statement saying the state's laws "protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe."

"I am prepared to defend our laws, just as I always have," she said.

The suit does not name the leader of the Empire State’s largest sanctuary jurisdiction, New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

In recent months, Adams has broken ranks with nearly all Democratic officials by expressing support for President Donald Trump’s hard-line approach to immigration. The mayor's favorable tone came as he was fighting a corruption case filed by federal prosecutors in New York last year. Earlier this week, a top Justice Department official ordered prosecutors in New York to drop that case — although they have not yet done so.

Bondi said she wasn’t aware the case against Adams was still pending and said it should be dismissed. “I did not know that it had not been dropped yet, but I will certainly look into that,” she said.

During the press conference at Justice Department headquarters, Bondi broke with staid tradition by appearing in front of FBI, ATF and DEA agents who stood silently and wore black raid jackets. She introduced a Maryland woman, Tammy Nobles, whose daughter Kayla Hamilton was murdered in 2022 by a member of the MS-13 gang who was an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador.

Bondi led off the briefing with a dramatic declaration to reporters that the Justice Department had “filed charges against” Hochul, James and Schroeder, as well as the state. However, an aide later clarified that Bondi was referring to a civil lawsuit, not criminal charges.

Trump’s top adviser on immigration enforcement, Tom Homan, has threatened criminal prosecutions of local officials who interfere with federal efforts to carry out the “mass deportations” Trump promised during his campaign.

Bondi didn’t rule out such charges but said she’s hopeful state and local officials will comply with what she said are their legal obligations.

“We're going to see what they do next,” she said. “We don't want to sue you. We don't want to prosecute people. We want people to comply with the law.”