DOJ sues New York over state law blocking courthouse ICE arrests

According to a press release from the DOJ, the complaint says that the state law "purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained at or on their way to or from a courthouse and imposes criminal liability for violations of the shield."

“Lawless sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the violence that Americans have seen in California, and New York State is similarly employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law.”

According to the DOJ's complaint, New York passed a law that prohibited the arrests taking place at courts, as well as "within state facilities" in New York. The act was passed in New York in 2020 as a response to the Trump administration's policies in his first term, per The Hill.

"These laws pose intolerable obstacles to federal immigration enforcement and directly regulate and discriminate against the Federal Government, in contravention of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution," the complaint added.

“Through these enactments, New York obstructs federal law enforcement and facilitates the evasion of federal law by dangerous criminals, notwithstanding federal agents’ statutory mandate to detain and remove illegal aliens," Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said in the complaint.

The move from the DOJ under the Trump administration comes as radical anti-ICE protests have popped up in cities across the nation, including in the Big Apple.

A spokesman for New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement responding to the lawsuit, “Immigrants make New York great. The Protect Our Courts Act ensures every New Yorker can access our courts and pursue justice without fear, because due process means nothing if people are too afraid to appear in court. Attorney General James will proudly defend this law and all of New York’s laws, just as she will continue to defend the rights and dignity of all who call New York home."