DOJ Sues 4 Cities in New Jersey Over ‘Sanctuary’ Policies

Newark, Jersey City, Patterson, Hoboken and its city officials are named in the lawsuit.

On Thursday, the Trump administration launched legal action against four Democratic-led cities in New Jersey over so-called sanctuary policies.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against city officials in Newark, Jersey City, Patterson and Hoboken in New Jersey District Court. The lawsuit seeks a ruling and an injunction against them, according to the 24-page complaint.

Acting Attorney General Yakov M. Ross denounced the city of denying access to illegal immigration in local prisons, banning local police from delivering federal immigration agents and banning local officers from providing necessary information to federal authorities.

The complaint’s prosecutor also cited executive orders and police instructions introduced by the city during President Donald Trump’s first term. The policies, which remain effective, ban cooperation with federal employees and undermine immigration enforcement activities, the complaint says.

“They all adopt policies for the explicit purpose of making it more difficult for the United States to enforce federal immigration laws,” he said. “These efforts to protect illegal aliens within the yard conditions are illegal.”

The lawsuit names Hoboken Mayor Rabbi Bara, Las Baraka of Newark, Andre Seig of Patterson and Stephen Flip of Jersey as defendants. Four city councils in each jurisdiction have also been named in the lawsuit.

In a statement on X, Baraka called the lawsuit “absurd” and defended his city’s policies.

“We don’t block safety. We support the Constitution,” writes Baraka. “Our policy helped reduce fear, increase trust and reduce murder by 61%. It’s not a threat to public safety, it’s what public safety looks like.”

Baraka, a candidate for New Jersey governor, was taken into custody on May 9 during a brawl at the gates of Delaney Hall as three members of the New Jersey Legislature delegation visited a privately run federal immigration detention center for unpublished testing. However, a few days later, a misdemeanor charge of trespassing against Baraka was dropped.

Mayor Hoboken’s Rose also vowed not to retreat. Bhalla said in his own statement that local tax and law enforcement resources will not be “controlled” by the federal government. Hoboken is a city built by immigrants and will continue to happen, Bala said.

Jersey City Mayor’s Flop issued a similar response.

“Here’s the truth. Jersey City’s policy protects families, reflects our values, and recorded crime rates. As governor, I am not bullied. We fight this and win,” Flop said in a statement from X.

The DOJ warned sanctuary cities about obstructing federal immigration enforcement and previously filed lawsuits against cities in New York, Colorado and Illinois.

The lawsuit is the latest initiative by the Trump administration to target sanctuary jurisdictions as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration. During Trump’s first 100 days, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than 65,000 illegal immigrants, including gang members, convicted sex offenders and murderers.

From NTD News