Trump loses challenge to NYC sanctuary city laws – Courthouse News

Trump loses challenge to NYC sanctuary city laws  Courthouse News

No federal law requires states to participate in federal immigration enforcement or compels states to comply with those efforts, the judge said. BROOKLYN (CN) — A federal judge on Thursday tossed President Donald Trump’s attempt to undo New York City’s sanctuary city policies, which allow local officials to refuse to transfer noncitizens into federal custody without an arrest warrant. U.S. District Judge Ramón Reyes Jr. found the federal government lacks standing to bring its 2025 lawsuit claiming NYC’s sanctuary city policies are preempted by federal law. “Even if the United States has standing — and it does not — its preemption claims fail,” Reyes wrote in the order. “All of

the United States’ preemption claims — express, conflict and field — fail because the relevant federal statutes do not regulate private actors.” Reyes explained that if the challenged provisions were struck, while NYC wouldn’t be obligated to carry out federal immigration enforcement, the city would be barred from prohibiting its own agencies and employees from engaging in federal immigration enforcement — using its own staff, property and other resources to detain people and implement inter-agency data-sharing, “all potentially in violation of state law.” “And of course, there is nothing within federal law that obligates states to participate in federal immigration enforcement or compels states to comply therewith,” the Joe Biden