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Federal judge tosses Trump administration lawsuit challenging NYC sanctuary laws
By
Phil Corso
Published Oct 15, 2026
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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Phil Corso
Published Oct 15, 2026
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A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging New York City's sanctuary laws on Thursday, delivering a legal victory to city officials as they continue to feud with feds over immigration enforcement.
The laws limit how city agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities, including restrictions on holding people for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sharing information. The Justice Department sued the city last year, arguing the policies interfered with federal immigration enforcement and violated the U.S. Constitution.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Ramón Reyes found the federal government lacked legal standing to bring the case. He also rejected its arguments that the city's laws conflict with federal law, finding that forcing local officials to assist with immigration enforcement would violate constitutional protections against federal overreach.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the ruling in a statement on Thursday.
“This is a victory for New Yorkers and a rebuke to ICE’s deportation agenda,” Mamdani said. “The federal government came to court seeking to force New York City to turn its public servants into deportation agents and divert our resources toward carrying out ICE’s cruel agenda. Today, they lost.”
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ruling comes one week after an ICE agent shot a man in the neck during an immigration enforcement operation in Manhattan’s Marble Hill neighborhood, setting off protests and renewed calls from Mamdani to end ICE operations in the city.
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new york city
new york state
Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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