The Trump administration sued New York on Wednesday over its migrant policies, accusing state officials of prioritizing “illegal aliens over American citizens,” as Washington ramped up its political and legal battles with states over deportations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, in her first news conference, specifically cited New York’s “green light” law, which allows people in the state to get a driver’s license regardless of citizenship or legal status.
Ms. Bondi, flanked by federal agents in raid jackets, vowed to put an end to those practices.
“It stops,” Ms. Bondi said. “It stops today.”
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Albany, said New York state law was the most egregious in that it requires state authorities “to promptly tip off any illegal alien when a federal immigration agency has requested his or her information.”
That, the lawsuit said, was “a frontal assault on the federal immigration laws, and the federal authorities that administer them.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokesman, Avi Small, said the governor “supports deporting violent criminals who break our laws, believes that law-abiding families should not be targets and will coordinate with federal authorities who have a judicial warrant.”
Ms. Hochul was scheduled to head to Washington on Thursday for a hastily arranged lunch at the White House with President Trump, but she canceled the trip once Ms. Bondi announced her intention to sue Ms. Hochul and the state, according to a person familiar with the governor’s plans. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.
The lawsuit was a fresh salvo in efforts by the federal government to force more cooperation in enacting Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda. The administration had already filed a similar challenge against Democratic officials in Illinois. Cities in California, Oregon and Connecticut, in turn, sued the administration over its efforts to deny funding to localities that do not provide all the assistance it demands in apprehending and deporting undocumented immigrants.
The dispute revolves around the difference between state and federal laws. Immigration and deportation is a federal responsibility; states and cities often pass laws intended to assure their residents that cooperation with the police and local authorities will not tip off immigration authorities.
A similar effort in Mr. Trump’s first term to strip funding from local jurisdictions failed in the courts. Ms. Bondi predicted this one would be successful because the Supreme Court would ultimately rule in the administration’s favor.
The announcement served as a warning shot not just at New York and Illinois, but at other unspecified states that Ms. Bondi suggested would also be sued.
“If you are a state not complying with federal law, you’re next, get ready,” Ms. Bondi said. “This is a new D.O.J., and we are taking steps to protect American citizens.”
Molly Biklen, the interim legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, called the filing “a gross intrusion into New York’s constitutional right to legislate in areas traditionally within its concern.”
Benjamin Oreskes and Luis Ferré-Sadurní contributed reporting.
