ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The Trump administration sued New York state Thursday over a law that blocks immigration officials from arresting people at New York courthouses, saying it purposely shields dangerous criminals.
The lawsuit in New York’s Northern District is the latest in a series of
legal actions targeting state or local policies the administration says interfere with immigration enforcement, authorities said.
“Lawless sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the violence that Americans have seen in California, and New York State is similarly employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a news release.
New York’s 2020 Protect Our Courts Act bans federal immigration officials from arresting people who are coming and going from courthouses or in court for proceedings unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. Democratic state
Sen. Brad Hoylman, the bill’s sponsor, said at the time the legislation was a rebuke to the first Trump administration’s practice of turning New York courts into “hunting grounds” for federal agents.
He called Thursday’s lawsuit “baseless and frivolous,” noting the law does not apply to federal courts or immigration courts.
“At a time when masked ICE officials are roaming the state and lawlessly detaining New Yorkers without any due process, the law preserves access to justice and participation in the judicial process,” Hoylman said in a statement. “I am confident that this lawsuit will be summarily dismissed but I continue to be appalled at the Trump administration’s increasingly-brazen attempts to undermine the protections of the rule of law in New York.”
The Justice Department’s lawsuit said arrests in or near courthouses are safer for officers and the public because individuals are screened for weapons and contraband before entering the buildings.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is among a group of Democratic governors in Washington on Thursday to face
questioning from Congress over policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
A spokesperson said the state is reviewing the lawsuit, “but it appears to be a waste of federal resources.”
“It’s important that witnesses, victims, and ordinary people can make use of our court system and feel safe in our courthouses and other state facilities,” spokesperson Jess D’Amelia said via email. “There is no sanctuary in New York for people who commit crimes. New York State cooperates with federal officials in removing convicted criminals from our state.”
