(NEW YORK) — The Justice Department filed suit Thursday against New York City, Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials challenging the city’s sanctuary laws for undocumented immigrants.
The suit was filed in the Eastern District of New York.
The department argued the city’s sanctuary policies amount to an “intentional effort” to obstruct federal immigration enforcement and should be declared unlawful under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
“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 Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the suit. “If New York City won’t stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will.”
In addition to the mayor, the suit names the speaker of the New York City Council and the heads of a host of city agencies, including the Department of Correction, the Department of Probation and the New York City Police Department.
The suit cites a number of provisions of New York City code and other policies, including a 2011 provision that bars the Department of Correction from honoring civil immigration detainers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and rules governing the NYPD that limit police officers’ ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
The suit also points to the recent shooting of an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent in a New York City park during an attempted robbery by an undocumented migrant with a lengthy criminal record and outstanding arrest warrants.
A spokesperson for Mayor Adams told ABC New York station WABC that the city is reviewing the lawsuit and said the the mayor believes the city council should “reexamine” its policies.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe also means making sure they feel safe, and Mayor Adams has been clear: no one should be afraid to dial 911, send their kids to school, or go to the hospital, and no New Yorker should feel forced to hide in the shadows,” the statement to WABC said. “That’s why the mayor supports the essence of the local laws put in place by the City Council – but he has also been clear they go too far when it comes to dealing with those violent criminals on our streets and has urged the Council to reexamine them to ensure we can effectively work with the federal government to make our city safer,” the statement went on to say. “So far, the Council has refused.”
DOJ has filed several other similar legal challenges in L.A., Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, as well as one targeting the state of New York, challenging state policies that that blocked immigration officials from arresting people at or near courthouses without a warrant signed by a judge.
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