(The Center Square) – The Justice Department has filed suit against the state of New York, saying a state law has blocked federal immigration agents from making arrests at or near courthouses.
In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Albany, the Justice Department says the law, called the Protect Our Courts Act, “purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained” and violates the Constitution by obstructing federal immigration operations.
The lawsuit says the New York law, which took effect in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term, violates a constitutional provision called the “supremacy clause” that makes federal law supersede conflicting state laws.
“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,” lawyers wrote in the 17-page complaint.
The federal agency said in the lawsuit that arrests in courthouses reduce “flight and safety risks to the public, law enforcement officers, and targets themselves” because individuals are “usually screened for weapons or other contraband before entering a courthouses.”
“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 in a statement.
“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,” she added.
Immigration enforcement actions in courthouses have been a flashpoint in pushback to Trump’s administration enforcing the law. To enter America from another country, if not a U.S. citizen, a visa or some other travel authorization is required to be presented at a port of entry.
Advocates, court officials and even some judges have been accused of resisting attempts by ICE to apprehend suspects who show up for court hearings.
The Justice Department sued New York in February over a different state law that limits state cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The case remains pending.
The legal challenge was filed on the same day Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul was being grilled by members of a Republican majority U.S. House of Representatives panel probing policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration crackdowns.
For several hours, Republicans blasted Hochul and the governors of Minnesota and Illinois for standing behind policies they said are shielding people who broke the law entering the country.
This article was originally published at www.thecentersquare.com
