US Justice Department sues New York over law blocking immigration arrests at courthouses

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging a New York state law that blocks immigration officials from arresting individuals at or near New York courthouses.

The complaint, filed in federal court in Albany, New York, alleges the law frustrates federal immigration enforcement at a venue – state courthouses – where authorities can safely make arrests.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said New York was employing policies similar to those used by California to prevent “illegal aliens from apprehension.”

“This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law,” she said in a statement.

A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James said the state will defend the law, arguing it “ensures every New Yorker can access our courts and pursue justice without fear.”

The Justice Department’s lawsuit alleges that the New York law, enacted in 2020 during Trump’s first term, violates a constitutional provision called the “supremacy clause” that makes federal law supersede conflicting state laws.

Demonstrators once again took to the streets in major U.S. cities on Thursday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

A federal judge in San Francisco will hear arguments later in the day as part of California’s lawsuit against Trump’s deployment of U.S. troops in Los Angeles.

Immigration enforcement in courthouses has emerged a point of tension over Trump’s hardline approach to illegal immigration.

Advocates and some state court officials have resisted attempts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to operate in state courthouses, arguing they risk disrupting court operations and dissuading millions of people from accessing the legal system.

A Wisconsin state court judge was charged in April for allegedly obstructing an immigration arrest due to take place outside her courtroom.

State courthouses have been an attractive venue for ICE, given people reliably appear for court dates and are typically screened by security.

The Justice Department under Trump previously sued New York in February over a different state law that limits state cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The case is pending.