The Trump administration sued New York on Thursday over a law that seeks to shield migrants from immigration arrests when they go to court proceedings.
The lawsuit asks to invalidate the law and two state executive orders over claims they obstruct the execution of federal immigration authorities.
“These laws pose intolerable obstacles to federal immigration enforcement and directly regulate and discriminate against the Federal Government, in contravention of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution,” the 17-page complaint reads.
The lawsuit came as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) was testifying on Capitol Hill about the state’s sanctuary status.
“Immigrants make New York great,” a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement.
“The Protect Our Courts Act ensures every New Yorker can access our courts and pursue justice without fear, because due process means nothing if people are too afraid to appear in court. Attorney General James will proudly defend this law and all of New York’s laws, just as she will continue to defend the rights and dignity of all who call New York home,” the statement continued.
Passed in 2020 in response to the first Trump administration, the Protect Our Courts Act bans civil immigration arrests while an individual is attending or traveling to or from New York court proceedings.
Immigration arrests at courthouses have become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown. The issue particularly gained prominence after federal prosecutors indicted a Wisconsin judge for allegedly helping a migrant evade immigration officers at the judge’s courthouse.
“Conducting an arrest at or near a courthouse often reduces the risk of flight and safety risks to the public, law enforcement officers, and targets themselves, in part because individuals are usually screened for weapons or other contraband before entering a courthouse,” the new lawsuit states.
The new lawsuit, filed in federal court in Albany, N.Y., also challenges two executive orders signed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). They prohibit civil immigration arrests within a broader set of state facilities and prevent New York government employees from sharing certain information with federal immigration authorities.
The suit marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to push back on Democratic-led states and localities that have opposed the administration’s immigration efforts. The Justice Department previously sued Colorado and Illinois, as well as Chicago, Denver, Newark, N.J., and several other New Jersey localities over their sanctuary city policies.
Updated at 12:46 p.m. EDT