The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against four New Jersey municipalities—Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Hoboken—accusing them of obstructing federal immigration enforcement through their sanctuary city policies. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated the legal action in New Jersey federal court, seeking a judgment to declare these policies unlawful and an injunction to halt their enforcement.
The lawsuit targets policies that prohibit local police from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on civil immigration matters, which the DOJ argues violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution by impeding federal law.
According to the complaint, these cities—Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Hoboken—restrict local officers from sharing information with ICE or handing over individuals in custody unless a judicial criminal warrant is provided. The DOJ argues that such policies “are a frontal assault on the federal immigration laws” and hinder efforts to combat illegal immigration.
Sanctuary policies, while lacking a formal definition, generally refer to local measures that limit cooperation with ICE to foster trust between communities and law enforcement.
New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, enacted in 2018 by the state’s attorney general, bars local police from assisting federal immigration officials except in cases involving serious or violent crimes or judicial warrants. The policies in the four cities mirror this directive, which was upheld by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, though it remains unclear how this ruling will impact the current case.
The mayors of the four cities, all Democrats, have vowed to fight the lawsuit. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, called the lawsuit “absurd,” arguing that sanctuary policies enhance public safety by encouraging crime reporting without fear of deportation. “We are upholding the Constitution, providing oversight, and following the laws and guidelines of the State of New Jersey,” Baraka said. He cited a 61% reduction in homicides in Newark since he took office as evidence of the policies’ success.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, also running for governor, dismissed the lawsuit as a “political sideshow” on social media, saying, “Jersey City’s policies protect families, reflect our values, and have led to record low crime rates. We’ll fight this—and win.”
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh called the suit an “egregious attempt to score political points at Paterson’s expense,” while Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said, “We will not back down.”
The lawsuit names the cities, their mayors, and city councils as defendants, alleging that their policies deny federal agents access to individuals in local custody and restrict information sharing critical to immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration has pursued similar legal actions against other jurisdictions, including Chicago, Denver, Colorado, and Rochester, New York, signaling a nationwide push to dismantle sanctuary policies.