A federal judge has tossed the Trump administration's lawsuit against four New Jersey sanctuary cities, ruling the Justice Department targeted local policies that largely mirror a statewide immigration directive — meaning a court victory wouldn't eliminate restrictions on ICE cooperation.U.S.District Judge Evelyn Padin of the District of New Jersey, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, on Wednesday dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City and Paterson, ruling the federal government lacked standing because striking down the cities' policies would not remedy its alleged injuries."The Federal Government's case has a fundamental flaw — it treats the Challenged Policies as though they operate in isolation.
They do not," Padin wrote."New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive is a statewide directive that, like the Challenged Policies, limits voluntary cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement beyond what the law requires."The lawsuit was part of President Donald Trump's renewed immigration crackdown following his 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 limiting cooperation with ICE obstruct federal immigration enforcement and violate the Constitution.DHS TORCHES NEW JERSEY’S PROFANE ‘F---ICE ACT’ AS ASSAULTS ON AGENTS SKYROCKET 1,300%Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stand outside Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey.
5/28/26.(Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital.)The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in May 2025, arguing the four cities' sanctuary policies violate the Constitution's Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal immigration enforcement, including limiting voluntary cooperation with ICE, restricting information sharing, declining to honor certain immigration detainers and barring participat...