Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Against NYC Sanctuary Policies

A Biden-appointed judge on Thursday dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging New York City's sanctuary policies, ruling that the Justice Department's arguments amounted to a "backdoor around the Tenth Amendment."

U.S. District Judge Ramón E. Reyes Jr. found that the federal government lacked standing to challenge the city's restrictions on honoring ICE detainers and rejected the Justice Department's claims that the city's policies are preempted by federal law. The administration had alleged that New York City's sanctuary laws unlawfully hindered federal immigration enforcement by restricting local law enforcement's cooperation with federal authorities.

This case is one of more than two dozen lawsuits the Trump administration filed against state and local jurisdictions over policies restricting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the ruling, accusing the administration of attempting to turn city employees into immigration enforcement agents. "The federal government tried to turn our public servants into deportation agents and force New York City to carry out ICE’s cruel agenda. Today, a federal court rejected that effort and upheld our laws," Mamdani wrote on X. "Every New Yorker deserves to seek help from their city without fear of being targeted for deportation."

Reyes found the administration lacked standing because striking down the city's restrictions would not remedy its alleged harm, as separate state laws restricting cooperation would remain in place. However, Abhishek Kambli, a former federal prosecutor, disputed this reasoning, arguing that the city's laws independently harm federal authority regardless of other existing state restrictions.

The judge also rejected the Justice Department's argument that New York City's sanctuary policies are overridden by federal immigration law, citing the Tenth Amendment's anti-commandeering doctrine. This doctrine prevents the federal government from forcing state and local governments to use their own officials and resources to administer federal programs.

"If states cannot remain free to control their agencies and employees to resist federal immigration enforcement, which is within states’ constitutional prerogatives, the Tenth Amendment anticommandeering doctrine means nothing," Reyes wrote.

Kambli argued that Reyes misinterpreted the distinction between forcing local governments to assist federal immigration enforcement and preventing them from actively obstructing it. He contended that the Justice Department sought to prevent local laws from interfering with federal enforcement, rather than forcing city officials to carry out federal duties.

The Justice Department also argued that New York City's policies went beyond refusing assistance by restricting information-sharing with ICE protected under federal law, and that the city singled out federal immigration officials. Reyes countered that federal information-sharing protections apply specifically to information about an individual's citizenship or immigration status and do not require local governments to provide broader details like release dates or whereabouts.

This ruling represents the latest setback for the Trump administration's efforts to challenge sanctuary policies in federal court, with similar lawsuits having been dismissed in Boston, Los Angeles, and Minnesota. The administration sued New York City in July 2025, alleging its sanctuary laws hindered federal immigration enforcement.