Trump sues NYC over ‘sanctuary city' policies
'The challenged provisions of New York City law reflect the City's intentional effort to obstruct the United States' enforcement of federal immigration law, by (among much else) impeding the consultation and communication between federal and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for the United States to enforce the law and keep Americans safe,' the Justice Department wrote in its complaint.
The Justice Department also argued that the city's refusal to comply with the Department of Homeland Security 'frequently puts ICE officers in considerable risk of physical danger,' citing several recent high-profile incidents involving federal immigration officials, including the shooting Sunday that left an off-duty Customs and Border Patrol agent in the hospital.
The complaint, which also named the New York City Council and the city Department of Correction as defendants, also cites data on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests that the city has not honored. New York's suite of 'sanctuary' policies date back to the 1980s and limit cooperation between federal immigrant agents and local law enforcement officers.
Adams press secretary Kayla Mamelak Altus said the city would review the lawsuit, but argued sanctuary city policies keep New Yorkers safe. '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,' she said.
Adams supports the 'essence' of sanctuary city laws, Mamelak Altus said, 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 (New York City) 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.'
The City Council didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit is an ironic twist to the complex relationship between Adams and the Justice Department. In February, after months of Adams courting Trump, top Justice Department officials ordered New York federal prosecutors to drop their federal corruption case against the mayor. The DOJ argued the charges impeded Adams' ability to work with the Trump administration on its immigration agenda, an argument that, in part, led the top federal prosecutor in New York at the time to deride the order as a quid pro quo between Trump and the mayor.
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