President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a federal lawsuit against New York City and Democratic Mayor Eric Adams over the city’s ongoing enforcement of sanctuary policies that, according to the DOJ, shield illegal aliens from federal immigration enforcement and obstruct federal law.
Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly announced the lawsuit on Thursday, stating that New York City’s policies represent a direct violation of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The clause affirms that federal law takes precedence over conflicting state and local laws.
“New York City has released thousands of criminals on the streets to commit violent crimes against law-abiding citizens due to sanctuary city policies,” Bondi said.
“If New York City won’t stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will.”
The complaint includes a detailed incident that occurred earlier this week, when two illegal aliens—previously released by New York City officials despite detainers filed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—allegedly shot an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during an attempted robbery in Fort Washington Park.
The suspects ambushed the officer while he was seated alone in the park on July 20, 2025, according to the DOJ’s lawsuit.
The officer was shot in the face and leg. Both suspects had entered the United States illegally and had accumulated several arrests prior to the incident.
One of the two individuals had been arrested on April 5, 2024, for charges including fourth-degree felony grand larceny and petit larceny.
ICE lodged an immigration detainer at the time, requesting the suspect be turned over for federal custody. However, the New York City Department of Correction did not honor the detainer, releasing the individual back into the community.
The lawsuit alleges that the incident could have been prevented had the city complied with the federal detainer.
“But for New York City’s sanctuary policies, this tragedy could have been avoided,” the DOJ’s filing states.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded to the news by questioning the public safety priorities of major cities enforcing sanctuary laws.
“How many more lives will it take, how many more people have to be hurt and victimized before we have public safety be a number one priority in some of our largest cities?” Noem asked.
This legal action is part of a broader pattern of lawsuits filed by Trump’s DOJ against sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide.
Previous targets include Los Angeles, California; the state of New York; Colorado; Illinois; and Rochester, New York.
Resist the Mainstream previously highlighted that in one notable instance, the DOJ compelled the city of Louisville, Kentucky, to drop its sanctuary policy following a legal threat.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate issued a formal statement on the DOJ’s position.
“For too long, New York City has been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing our immigration laws,” he said.
“Its efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement end now.”
The DOJ’s filing underscores its intent to seek an injunction that would block the city from further enforcement of policies deemed to be noncompliant with federal immigration law.
The agency may also pursue penalties and other remedies depending on the outcome of the case.
Breitbart News reported that earlier this year, during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee’s Immigration Subcommittee, National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE) President RJ Hauman testified that sanctuary jurisdictions had shielded roughly 25,000 criminal illegal aliens from October 2022 through February 2025.
These individuals were detained for crimes but were subsequently released by local or state jurisdictions that declined to cooperate with ICE, according to Hauman’s testimony.
Hauman described the impact of sanctuary policies as a “systematic obstruction” of immigration law enforcement efforts and stated that it endangers both federal officers and American citizens.
The Trump administration has maintained a hardline stance on immigration, seeking to reduce the number of sanctuary jurisdictions through both legal and political pressure.
This includes withholding federal funding from jurisdictions that do not comply with immigration enforcement requests—a practice that has been litigated in multiple federal courts.
The post Trump DOJ Sues NYC for Protecting Illegal Aliens Under ‘Sanctuary City Policies’: Report appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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