The Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday against the state of New York, challenging a law that restricts immigration agents from making arrests at courthouses. The administration argued that the measure intentionally provides cover for individuals it deems dangerous, the AP reports.
Filed in the Northern District of New York, the case marks yet another legal battle between the federal government and jurisdictions the administration accuses of obstructing immigration enforcement efforts.
“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,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a written statement.
The contested law, titled the 2020 Protect Our Courts Act, bars immigration officials from detaining individuals on courthouse grounds unless they have a judicial warrant. The legislation was authored by Democratic state Sen. Brad Hoylman, who previously accused Trump-era immigration agents of using New York’s courts as “hunting grounds.”
Calling the new legal challenge “baseless and frivolous,” Hoylman pointed out that the statute does not extend to federal or immigration courts.
“At a time when masked ICE officials are roaming the state and lawlessly detaining New Yorkers without any due process, the law preserves access to justice and participation in the judicial process,” Hoylman said in a statement. “I am confident that this lawsuit will be summarily dismissed but I continue to be appalled at the Trump administration’s increasingly-brazen attempts to undermine the protections of the rule of law in New York.”
According to the Justice Department, courthouses provide a secure environment for arrests because individuals are screened for weapons and prohibited items before entering, minimizing risk to officers and civilians.

{Matzav.com}