The Trump administration sued New York City on Thursday over its sanctuary city policies, arguing that the city has illegally impeded the federal government from enforcing immigration laws.
The lawsuit asserts that the city is violating the federal government’s jurisdiction under the Constitution’s supremacy clause. The city’s sanctuary policies designed to protect illegal aliens from federal law enforcement infringe upon the federal government’s authority to police immigration.
“New York City’s Sanctuary Provisions have the purpose and effect of making it more difficult for federal immigration officers to carry out their responsibilities in that jurisdiction.
New York City’s sanctuary laws “intentionally obstruct the sharing of information envisioned and affirmatively protected by Congress, including sharing basic information such as release dates, court appearance dates, and custodial status,” the lawsuit states. “The challenged provisions also impair federal detention of removable aliens, including dangerous criminals, contrary to federal law.”
“The Sanctuary Provisions further purport to direct federal officials to procure criminal arrest warrants to take custody of removable aliens, even though Congress has made an explicit policy choice that such apprehensions for removal can be effectuated by civil arrest warrants for immigration enforcement,” it continues.
The lawsuit also accused the city of effectively ensuring that criminal aliens are released onto the streets rather than being turned over to federal authorities for potential deportation. The ban on city officials turning criminal aliens over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement requires “ICE to risk officer safety and expend considerable resources to effectuate arrests in communities.”
“This intentional sabotage of federal immigration enforcement is unlawful and dangerous. These Sanctuary Policies have resulted in countless criminals being released into the City who should have been held for immigration removal from the United States,” the lawsuit states.
New York City is the latest in a string of major American cities that have been hit with lawsuits over sanctuary city policies. The Trump administration in June sued Los Angeles. In February, the administration filed a lawsuit against Chicago.
“Sanctuary cities are only sanctuaries for criminals. President Trump promised to Make America Safe Again and deport criminal illegal aliens,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News in a statement. “But sanctuary cities, like NYC, are working in direct opposition to the mandate that President Trump was elected to fulfill and American citizens are paying the price. The Trump Administration will not tolerate local politicians interfering in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”