The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against New York, accusing the state of obstructing federal efforts to crack down on undocumented immigrants.

“We’ve already sued Illinois, but New York didn’t take the lesson. Instead, they chose to prioritize illegal immigrants over American citizens. That ends today,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a press conference in Washington on February 12.

The move comes a week after the Justice Department sued Illinois and the city of Chicago for similar reasons, describing Chicago as a "sanctuary city" for undocumented immigrants.

“If you don’t comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable. States that defy federal immigration laws will be next,” Bondi warned. She noted that in New York, law enforcement officers are not allowed to check the immigration status of drivers they pull over for traffic violations. “If they can’t check backgrounds, they won’t know who they’re dealing with,” she said.

New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles also has an alert system in place to notify undocumented immigrants when federal immigration authorities request their information. “This is unconstitutional, and that’s why we’re suing,” Bondi stated.

Appearing alongside Bondi at the press conference was a woman whose 20-year-old daughter was murdered by a member of the notorious MS-13 gang. The attorney general argued that the suspect should never have been allowed to enter the U.S.

“We cannot allow another parent to suffer the pain of losing a child to someone who shouldn’t even be here. Millions of undocumented immigrants with violent criminal records have flooded our communities, bringing crime and deadly drugs,” Bondi said.

New York state officials have yet to respond to the lawsuit.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, insisting that undocumented immigrants are responsible for a significant share of crime—despite studies showing that U.S. citizens commit crimes at higher rates.

After taking office, Trump declared a “national emergency” at the southern border and signed an executive order stating that undocumented immigrants pose a “serious threat to national security and public safety.”

“The national crisis is worsening as large numbers of illegal immigrants find safe haven in so-called sanctuary cities, avoiding federal law enforcement. They live and work among innocent American citizens, who could become victims of their crimes,” the order reads.

Trump has long vowed legal action against sanctuary cities and states, most of which are governed by Democrats.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that over 8,000 individuals have been arrested in immigration enforcement operations since Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Those detained are being held in federal prisons or at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

The U.S. has also ramped up deportation flights to countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and India. Trump claims these flights are helping America “regain respect” after years of being “laughed at like fools.”

(Sources: AFP, AP)