By Euronews&AP
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The Trump administration took legal action against the city of New York on Thursday, alleging that it has been hindering federal efforts to enforce immigration laws through its “sanctuary city” practices. The suit also implicates these policies with the recent shooting of an off-duty Customs officer.
The lawsuit, filed by the US Department of Justice, represents the latest in a series of federal legal actions aiming to contest state and local measures perceived as obstacles to immigration enforcement efforts.
According to Attorney General Pamela Bondi, “New York City has released thousands of criminals onto the streets, attributed to its sanctuary city policies, to commit violent crimes against law-abiding citizens. If the city won’t protect the safety of its residents, we will.”
The legal challenge targets Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and several other city officials and departments. It specifically contests policies that prevent city law enforcement from honoring civil immigration detainers, meaning holding individuals past their scheduled release dates.
Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, stated that the mayor backs the principles of the city’s policies but has called on the City Council “to reassess these policies to ensure we can collaborate effectively with the federal government in making our city safer, especially when dealing with violent offenders.”
Altus added that, to date, the City Council has not been willing to make changes. The Council did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The New York Civil Liberties Union’s Executive Director Donna Lieberman argued, “New York City has no obligation to divert its resources to carry out federal immigration enforcement, nor the brutal and unreigned deportation campaign of the Trump administration.”
Lieberman continued, “New York City’s long-standing, bipartisan sanctuary policies have enhanced our city’s safety, bolstered our economy, wounded our communities, and facilitated access to crucial services for our populace.”
This legal action follows comments made by Trump officials on Monday, who blamed the city’s sanctuary policies for the weekend shooting of a Customs and Border Protection officer in a Manhattan park. The officer was not in uniform or on duty at the time of the incident.
