A Biden-appointed judge has delivered a significant legal defeat to the Trump administration, dismissing its lawsuit aimed at dismantling New York City’s sanctuary policies. U.S. District Judge Ramón E. Reyes Jr. ruled that the Justice Department lacked the legal standing to challenge the city’s restrictions on cooperating with federal immigration enforcement, citing the Tenth Amendment’s anti-commandeering doctrine, which prevents the federal government from compelling state and local entities to administer federal programs. The court found that even if the city’s laws were struck down, separate state laws would still prevent the cooperation the federal government sought, rendering the lawsuit ineffective. Furthermore, Judge Reyes rejected the administration’s argument that federal law preempted New York City’s policies, stating that federal statutes do not regulate private actors in this context and that the information-sharing protections cited by the DOJ did not extend to details like release dates or custody status. Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the ruling, asserting that the federal government’s attempt to turn city employees into deportation agents had been thwarted and that New York City would continue to protect its immigrant residents without fear of deportation. This decision represents another setback for the Trump administration’s broader legal campaign against sanctuary jurisdictions across the country.
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