Trump administration sues 4 New Jersey cities over 'sanctuary' policies

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Trump administration sued four New Jersey cities over their so-called sanctuary city policies aimed at prohibiting police from cooperating with immigration officials, saying the local governments are standing in the way of federal enforcement.

The Justice Department filed the suit Thursday against Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken in New Jersey federal court. The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the cities and an injunction to halt them from enacting the so-called sanctuary city policies.

“While states and local governments are free to stand aside as the United States performs this important work, they cannot stand in the way,” the suit says.

It's the latest case from Republican President Donald Trump's administration against sanctuary policies. The administration also sued Chicago, Denver, the state of Colorado, and Rochester, New York.

There is no official definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities. The terms generally describe limited local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE enforces U.S. immigration laws nationwide but sometimes seeks state and local help.

The policies are aimed at prohibiting cooperation on civil enforcement matters, not at blocking cooperation on criminal matters. They specifically carve out exceptions for when Immigration and Customs Enforcement supplies police with a judicial criminal warrant. The government said, though, the cities won't notify ICE when they've made criminal arrests, according to the suit.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, decried the lawsuit and said Friday people are more likely to report crimes when they're not living in fear of deportation.

“The lawsuit against Newark is absurd. We are not standing in the way of public safety,” Baraka said in an emailed statement.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said his city would fight the suit, calling it an “egregious attempt to score political points at Paterson's expense.”

“We will not be intimidated,” he said in a text message.

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement the city prides itself on its inclusivity.

“The City of Hoboken will vigorously work to defend our rights, have our day in court, and defeat the Trump Administration’s lawlessness. To be clear: we will not back down,” he said.

The mayors of all four cities are Democrats.

New Jersey's attorney general adopted a statewide Immigrant Trust Directive in 2018, which bars local police from cooperation with federal officials conducting immigration enforcement. The policies adopted by the four cities are similar.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that New Jersey's statewide policy could stand, but it's unclear how that court's order might affect the government's case against the four cities.