Judge tosses Trump administration lawsuit against NJ sanctuary cities

A federal judge tossed out the Trump administration’s lawsuit against four New Jersey sanctuary cities, ruling that the Justice Department targeted local policies that largely mirror the statewide immigration directive; That means a court victory won’t eliminate restrictions on ICE cooperation.

U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin for the District of New Jersey, appointed by President Joe Biden, on Wednesday dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City and Paterson, ruling that the federal government was in disrepute because dismantling the cities’ policies would not address the alleged harms.

“The Federal Government’s lawsuit has a fundamental flaw; it treats the Challenged Policies as if they were operating separately. They are not,” Padin wrote. “New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, like the Objected Policies, is a statewide guidance that limits voluntary cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement beyond what is required by law.”

The case was part of a renewed immigration crackdown following President Donald Trump’s return to office. Since declaring a national emergency at the southern border on Jan. 20, 2025, the administration has aggressively targeted so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, arguing that local policies that limit cooperation with ICE impede federal immigration enforcement and violate the Constitution.

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The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in May 2025, arguing that the four cities’ asylum policies violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal immigration enforcement, including limiting voluntary cooperation with ICE, restricting information sharing, refusing to honor certain immigrant detainees, and prohibiting participation in civil immigration enforcement beyond what is required by federal law.

Newark, Hoboken, and Jersey City passed executive orders declaring themselves “just and hospitable” or “sanctuary” cities, while Paterson implemented police procedures designed to comply with New Jersey’s immigration protections. The cities argued that the policies maintain community trust and allow local police to focus on state and local crimes rather than federal civil immigration enforcement.

But Padin did not address the question of whether sanctuary policies are constitutional. Instead, it ruled that the federal government failed to survive because the New Jersey Immigrant Confidence Directive independently imposed many of the same restrictions on law enforcement agencies statewide.

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New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said ICE blocked her access to the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital; Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The directive, first issued in 2018 under former Gov. Phil Murphy and signed into state law by Gov. Mikie Sherrill earlier this year, limits the situations in which state and local police can cooperate with federal immigration authorities on civil immigration enforcement.

Since the statewide directive was not challenged in this case, Padin concluded that even if cities rescinded their policies, many of the same restrictions would remain in place.

“Even if the Court bans the Challenged Policies,” he wrote, “their wounds will remain.”

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This directive has already overcome many legal challenges. The Third Circuit upheld the ruling after New Jersey counties argued it conflicted with federal immigration law and the Justice Department later sued New Jersey directly over the policy, lost and failed to appeal.

“No decision herein shall override the ITD or relieve municipal law enforcement officers of their independent obligation to comply with it,” Padin wrote.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are seen at JFK Airport Terminal 1 in New York City. The Department of Homeland Security said an ICE agent saved the life of a 1-year-old child at JFK after performing the Heimlich maneuver. (Getty Images)

The opinion also faulted the government for failing to identify concrete injuries that resulted solely from cities’ policies. While the Justice Department cited several examples of alleged disregard for ICE detainees, each example involved the Essex County Correctional Facility, a county-run jail that is not a defendant in the case and is run under the statewide directive.

“The Federal Government must defend the facts proving its feared harm,” Padin wrote.

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Padin dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning the administration is not barred from reopening the case if it can overcome the current problem.

The Ministry of Justice declined to comment.