DOJ Sues New York City Over Sanctuary Policy
The Department of Justice, under President Donald Trump, has initiated a lawsuit against New York City and Mayor Eric Adams concerning the city’s sanctuary policy, which shields undocumented immigrants from federal immigration enforcement.
On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondy announced the suit, claiming that the Sanctuary City policy violates the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.
“New York City has allowed numerous criminals to roam free, putting law-abiding citizens at risk through its Sanctuary City policies,” Bondi stated. “If New York City won’t protect its citizens, then we will.”
The lawsuit comes in light of an incident this week where two undocumented immigrants, released under the city’s sanctuary rules, reportedly shot and killed customs and border protection officers during a robbery attempt.
“This week, there were tragic outcomes linked to New York City’s sanctuary policies. On July 20, 2025, two undocumented immigrants purportedly ambushed off-duty customs agents in Washington Park,” the lawsuit claims.
They allegedly sought to rob the officers. Both individuals entered the U.S. illegally and had multiple arrests for criminal activities. In fact, one of them was previously detained by ICE after arrests for grand larceny and petty theft. Yet, the New York City Department of Corrections disregarded the detention and released him back onto the streets, permitting him to continue committing crimes. This tragedy could have been averted if not for the city’s sanctuary policy. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem expressed dismay.
The DOJ has filed similar lawsuits against other sanctuary areas, including Los Angeles, California. Following the threat of lawsuits in New York, Colorado, Illinois, Rochester, New York, and more recently, Louisville, Kentucky, some jurisdictions have begun to dismantle their sanctuary policies.
“For far too long, New York City has obstructed the enforcement of our immigration laws,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Schmate remarked. “The era of blocking federal immigration enforcement is over.”
Earlier this year, during a hearing with the House Judicial Immigration Subcommittee, RJ Hauman, president of the National Enforcement Centre, disclosed that between October 2022 and February 2025, around 25,000 undocumented immigrants were safeguarded from federal enforcement due to sanctuary policies.
The lawsuit is classified as US vs New York City, no. 1:25-CV-4084 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
