A federal judge in Brooklyn dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit seeking to invalidate New York City's sanctuary laws, ruling that the federal government has no legal authority to compel local police to assist with immigration enforcement.
U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes rejected the administration's arguments that the city's policies violate the Constitution's supremacy clause, which gives federal law precedence over state and local laws. The ruling, reported by Reuters on Thursday, marks a significant setback for the administration's efforts to crack down on so-called sanctuary jurisdictions.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the decision, saying in a statement: "The federal government came to court seeking to force New York City to turn its public servants into deportation agents and divert our resources toward carrying out ICE's cruel agenda. Today, they lost."
The lawsuit, filed in July, challenged local laws that restrict police from detaining immigrants at the request of federal authorities and limit the sharing of release dates, whereabouts, and other custody information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Judge Reyes determined that federal law does not require state and local governments to provide such assistance or information.
"Our local laws make New York City safer," Mamdani added. "They allow us to focus our resources on protecting and serving our communities and ensuring that every New Yorker can turn to their City government without fear that asking for help will make them a target for deportation."
The ruling comes just a week after an ICE agent shot a man in the Bronx's Marble Hill neighborhood. The Department of Homeland Security said the 28-year-old had entered the country illegally and had a prior conviction for grand larceny, along with arrests for assault, robbery, drug and weapons charges.
Mamdani called the shooting "an incredibly serious situation" in a social media post and demanded an end to ICE operations in the city. "I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city," he wrote. "I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities."
Legal experts note that the ruling reinforces the limits of federal power over local policing, a contentious issue in the broader immigration debate. The decision could influence similar challenges in other sanctuary cities, though the administration may appeal.
For more context on the administration's immigration stance, see how the administration has handled other legal fights. The shooting that preceded the ruling has also sparked its own legal action, with a lawsuit alleging agents failed to identify themselves.
