The lawsuit marks the Republican administration’s second legal action against a Democratic-led state over immigration policies, after federal prosecutors accused the state of Illinois and officials in Chicago last week of attempting to “obstruct” federal immigration laws and trying to “impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe.”.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice is suing the state of New York, Governor Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James as Donald Trump’s administration targets so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions in his anti-immigration campaign.
This week, acting deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed federal prosecutors in New York to drop the case against Adams, with a memo that explicitly stated that the Justice Department made its decision without assessing the strength of the evidence against the mayor.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is facing federal criminal charges for corruption, has curried favor with the president following the 2024 presidential election while cooperating with immigration authorities in what critics have suggested is a quid pro quo arrangement to ensure the case against him disappears.
Bondi said she is scrutinizing the state’s so-called "greenlight law" that allows New York residents to obtain driver's licenses regardless of their immigration status.
