The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against four New Jersey cities—Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Hoboken—over their sanctuary city policies, which restrict local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The Justice Department submitted the complaint Thursday in New Jersey federal court, seeking both a legal judgment and an injunction to block the enforcement of these policies.
“While states and local governments are free to stand aside as the United States performs this important work, they cannot stand in the way,” the lawsuit states.
This case marks the latest move by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration to challenge sanctuary policies nationwide. Previous lawsuits have targeted Chicago, Denver, the state of Colorado, and Rochester, New York.
Although “sanctuary city” lacks a formal definition, it generally refers to local governments limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws across the country. ICE occasionally relies on assistance from local and state law enforcement.
The challenged policies focus on civil, not criminal, immigration matters. They allow cooperation when ICE provides a criminal judicial warrant. However, the lawsuit claims the cities still fail to notify ICE when making criminal arrests.
Local Leaders Respond
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, criticized the lawsuit, arguing it undermines public safety.
“The lawsuit against Newark is absurd. We are not standing in the way of public safety,” Baraka said in a statement Friday. “People are more likely to report crimes when they’re not living in fear of deportation.”
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh vowed to fight the legal challenge, calling it “an egregious attempt to score political points at Paterson’s expense.”
“We will not be intimidated,” he wrote in a text message.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla emphasized the city’s inclusive values and pledged to challenge the lawsuit.
“The City of Hoboken will vigorously work to defend our rights, have our day in court, and defeat the Trump Administration’s lawlessness. To be clear: we will not back down,” Bhalla said.
All four mayors are Democrats.
In 2018, New Jersey’s attorney general implemented the Immigrant Trust Directive, a statewide policy barring local police from helping federal officials with immigration enforcement. The cities named in the lawsuit have adopted similar measures.
The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling in favor of the state policy. It remains uncertain how that decision may impact the federal government’s case against the four municipalities.
