New York, NY—Today, the US Justice Department of Donald Trump filed a federal lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York challenging New York City’s sanctuary policies. The basis of the 37-page lawsuit is that New York’s local policies are “impeding the consultation and communication between federal and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for the United States to enforce the law and keep Americans safe."
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Immigrants have built and rebuilt New York City and this nation for centuries, and our local government has correctly welcomed and embraced them as essential members of our New York community. Our local laws are designed to protect the public safety of every single New Yorker. When local police focus on protecting our neighborhoods rather than carrying out the federal government’s mass disappearance agenda, every New Yorker can feel secure enough to report crimes, access emergency services, and cooperate with investigations without fear of deportation. Unfortunately, Donald Trump thinks that he and he alone can decide our country’s local laws – undermining the 10th amendment. Today’s lawsuit is frivolous at best, and an attack on New York’s ability to govern itself at worst. New York must reject Trump’s continued assaults to its Constitutional right to pass local laws that serve our communities best. Mayor Adams must fight back against this federal overreach and defend the well-being of all New Yorkers.”
Context
Recent incidents in New York City have fueled fear-mongering and baseless attacks on sanctuary city policies. New York’s long-standing sanctuary policies are public safety measures – laws that protect entire communities and encourage immigrants to access police protection. The term “sanctuary city” has no universal definition and applications vary across jurisdictions.