The Justice Department filed a 37‑page complaint in the Eastern District of New York on July 24th, asking a federal judge to strike down key elements of New York City’s sanctuary policy. The suit names the city, Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and a dozen other officials and agencies as defendants. At its core, the government argues that provisions in the city’s administrative code and police directives—rules that bar local officers from honoring civil immigration detainers or sharing release dates with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the city “has released thousands of criminals back onto the streets” by refusing federal requests and vowed that her department would no longer “allow local politicians to obstruct immigration law.”
