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The United States Justice Department is suing multiple New York state officials for state immigration policies that President Donald Trump views as undermining his mass deportation agenda, The New York Times reported.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder are among the officials named for their alleged noncompliance with Trump’s immigration orders. The state joins Illinois as the second to face legal scrutiny from the DOJ for its “sanctuary laws” protecting undocumented immigrants in U.S. cities from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

As part of Trump’s mass deportation plans, the president promised to detain and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Under this plan, ICE arrested more than 8,200 people between Jan. 22 and Jan. 31. On average, ICE has arrested 826 people a day since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Under current legislation, New York City, similarly to Chicago, is a recognized “sanctuary city,” or a metropolitan area where sanctuary laws apply.

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens … it stops today,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.

Bondi pointed to New York’s 2019 Green Light Law as one of the administration’s main issues with the state. The law allows any person over 16 to apply for and obtain a New York driver’s license regardless of nationality or legal status.

Bondi claimed that under the law, New York DMV commissioners are expected to tip off undocumented immigrants anytime a federal immigration agency has approached their office asking for information. She called the law unconstitutional.

Hochul denied this claim in a Wednesday evening statement.

“Our current laws allow federal immigration officials to access any DMV database with a judicial warrant. That’s a common-sense approach that most New Yorkers support,” Hochul said in the statement.

She also said she would not allow federal agents to access personal information from DMV data.

The New York Civil Liberties Union condemned the lawsuit in a statement on Wednesday, saying that state officials are not obligated to enable the Trump administration’s “cruel and destructive deportation plans.” The NYCLU also described the lawsuit as an “attempt to shamelessly weaponize” the Department of Justice.

Hochul’s spokesman said she supports the deportation of violent criminals but does not believe law-abiding families should be targeted, the Times reported.

The announcement served as a warning to other states “not complying with federal law,” the Times reported. Bondi suggested the DOJ would take steps to sue additional states.

Published on February 13, 2025 at 1:20 am

Contact Duncan: digreen@syr.edu