The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against New York City on Thursday, accusing the city of blocking federal immigration enforcement through its sanctuary city policies.
These policies prevent local law enforcement from arresting individuals solely based on immigration status and restrict the sharing of information with federal immigration agencies.
The lawsuit targets several top city officials, including Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, along with multiple departments.
The federal government claims that New York City’s policies have made it difficult to enforce national immigration laws, allowing individuals who entered the country illegally to avoid detention and deportation.
Trump’s administration has long taken a tough stance on immigration, focusing on detaining and removing undocumented migrants.
It has previously filed similar lawsuits against other sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as states including Colorado and Illinois.
This legal move follows a recent incident in a Manhattan park where an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer was shot.
The federal government linked the incident to the city’s sanctuary rules, stating that the two suspects involved had entered the country illegally from the Dominican Republic and had been arrested several times before.
Federal officials argue that these repeated arrests could have been avoided if local authorities cooperated more closely with immigration enforcement.
They claim that such policies put the safety of citizens at risk and hinder the efforts to reduce crime connected to undocumented migration.
Trump, both during his presidency and campaign, frequently criticized sanctuary cities and described undocumented migrants in harsh terms.
He pledged to carry out large-scale deportations and remove criminal offenders living in the U.S. without legal status.
The case is expected to fuel further debate over immigration policies, local authority rights, and federal enforcement power.