US judge tosses Trump administration lawsuit over New York City 'sanctuary' laws

NEW YORK — A federal judge on Thursday threw ​out a Trump administration lawsuit that sought to block New York City laws limiting cooperation ‌with federal immigration enforcement, finding the government did not have ⁠a valid basis to ​sue.

• U.S. District Judge ⁠Ramon Reyes in Brooklyn said President Donald Trump's ‌administration could not ‌challenge a city law barring police from ⁠detaining immigrants at the ⁠request of federal authorities because that practice is already prohibited by state law.

• The judge also said city laws restricting local authorities from sharing release dates, whereabouts or other custody information ‌about immigrants were valid because ​federal law does not require state and local governments to share that information.

• Reyes rejected the administration's arguments that federal law superseded the challenged New York City laws, finding the federal government could not force local governments to assist ​with immigration enforcement.

• The administration filed the lawsuit ‌in New York ‌federal ⁠court in July 2025 as part of its campaign against so-called sanctuary city policies, which aim to shield immigrants from Trump's mass deportation campaign.

• The Justice ‌Department did not ​immediately respond to a request ‌for comment on ⁠the ​ruling.

Related topics