Trump sues NYC over sanctuary city laws

BROOKLYN (CN) — The Trump administration sued New York City, Mayor Eric Adams and top law enforcement officials on Thursday claiming the city’s sanctuary city policies are preempted by federal law.

“New York City has long been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing this country’s immigration laws,” the administration says in a 37-page lawsuit, claiming the city’s sanctuary laws, first implemented by Mayor Edward Koch in 1989, violate the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Three local laws make it more difficult for federal immigration officers to do their jobs by obstructing sharing information like release dates, court appearance dates and custodial status, and by impairing the federal detention of certain immigrants, the federal government says.

The administration wants the court to block each of the provisions.

Under the existing sanctuary city law, local officials can refuse to transfer someone into federal custody in the absence of an arrest warrant.

“This intentional sabotage of federal immigration enforcement is unlawful and dangerous,” the federal government says, claiming that releasing people for whom no warrant exists will lead to additional offenses and puts Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at risk.

The suit was filed in the wake of a shooting during an attempted robbery of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer in a Manhattan park beneath the George Washington Bridge and the subsequent arrest of two men from the Dominican Republic who entered the country illegally.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the two suspects “scum of the earth” and lashed out against New York City officials over their sanctuary policies.

In 2024, according to the lawsuit, the city’s Department of Correction honored just 4% of ICE detainer requests, in which the agency asks to be notified before releasing “an alien suspected of being removable” from the U.S., and to hold that person for up to 48 hours beyond their scheduled release.

The New York City Police Department has not honored any ICE detainers since 2016, according to city data cited in the lawsuit.

In addition to Mayor Adams — who escaped prosecution on corruption charges as part of a deal to aid President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda in the city — the suit names New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams; Department of Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie; Department of Probation Commissioner Juanita N. Holmes; and Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

On Wednesday, DHS posted a message blasting the Big Apple and attempting to stir up public dissent against sanctuary laws.

“Every New Yorker should know: their sanctuary politicians are working against law enforcement and RELEASING criminal illegal aliens with prior convictions for rape, murder, and drug trafficking back into their communities,” the agency wrote on X.

It followed up Thursday with a message boasting its mission to go after sanctuary cities.

“Sanctuary cities will no longer be a sanctuary for criminal illegal aliens,” the agency wrote. “We will continue to implement President Trump’s immigration promises, and we will defend the homeland from criminal illegal aliens.”

In a statement, Mayor Adams’ press secretary Kayla Mamelak said the office is reviewing the lawsuit and offered a mixed perspective on sanctuary laws.

“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. 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. So far, the council has refused,” she said.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of New York Immigration Coalition, called on local leadership to fight the lawsuit and celebrated immigrants’ contributions to the country’s melting pot.

“Immigrants have built and rebuilt New York City and this nation for centuries, and our local government has correctly welcomed and embraced them as essential members of our New York community. Our local laws are designed to protect the public safety of every single New Yorker. When local police focus on protecting our neighborhoods rather than carrying out the federal government’s mass disappearance agenda, every New Yorker can feel secure enough to report crimes, access emergency services, and cooperate with investigations without fear of deportation," Awawdeh said in a statement.

He continued: “Unfortunately, Donald Trump thinks that he and he alone can decide our country’s local laws — undermining the 10th Amendment. Today’s lawsuit is frivolous at best, and an attack on New York’s ability to govern itself at worst. New York must reject Trump’s continued assaults to its Constitutional right to pass local laws that serve our communities best. Mayor Adams must fight back against this federal overreach and defend the well-being of all New Yorkers.”

Donna Lieberman, executive director of New York Civil Liberties Union, spoke in support of the laws in a statement.

“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. New York City, like any local government, 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," Lieberman said.

“Trump, Miller, and Bondi want to conscript New York to do their bidding and impose their cruelty on our communities, but this city and our people won’t back down.”

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