By Devlin Barrett
The Trump administration sued New York on Wednesday over its migrant policies and accused state officials of prioritizing “illegal aliens over American citizens,” escalating its political and legal battles with states over deportations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, in her first news conference, specifically cited New York’s “green light” law, which allows people in the state to get a driver’s license regardless of citizenship or legal status.
Bondi, flanked by federal agents in raid jackets, vowed to put an end to those practices.
“It stops,” Bondi said. “It stops today.”
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Albany, said New York state law was the most egregious in that it requires state authorities “to promptly tip off any illegal alien when a federal immigration agency has requested his or her information.”
That, the lawsuit said, was “a frontal assault on the federal immigration laws, and the federal authorities that administer them.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office made clear that it supported “deporting violent criminals who break our laws,” issuing a statement that noted that the governor did not believe law-abiding people should be targets.
“Our current laws allow federal immigration officials to access any DMV database with a judicial warrant,” the governor said in a statement. “That’s a common-sense approach that most New Yorkers support.” The governor added that she expected the “publicity-driven” lawsuit would fail.
Molly Biklen, the interim legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, also questioned the merits of the case. The filing, she said, was “a gross intrusion into New York’s constitutional right to legislate in areas traditionally within its concern.”
Hochul was scheduled to head to Washington on Thursday for a hastily arranged lunch at the White House with President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the governor’s plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation. But she canceled the trip once Bondi announced her intention to sue Hochul and the state, the person said.
The lawsuit was a fresh salvo in efforts by the federal government to force more cooperation in carrying out Trump’s immigration agenda. The administration had already filed a similar challenge against Democratic officials in Illinois. Cities in California, Oregon and Connecticut, in turn, sued the administration over its efforts to deny funding to localities that do not provide all the assistance it demands in apprehending and deporting immigrants in the country illegally.
The dispute revolves around the difference between state and federal laws. Immigration and deportation is a federal responsibility; states and cities often pass laws intended to assure their residents that cooperation with police and local authorities will not tip off immigration authorities.
A similar effort in Trump’s first term to strip funding from local jurisdictions failed in the courts. Bondi predicted this one would be successful because the Supreme Court would ultimately rule in the administration’s favor.
The announcement served as a warning shot not just at New York and Illinois, but at other unspecified states that Bondi suggested would also be sued.
“If you are a state not complying with federal law, you’re next; get ready,” Bondi said. “This is a new DOJ, and we are taking steps to protect American citizens.”
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