Feds Can’t Squash ‘Sanctuary’ Policies In 4 NJ Cities, Judge Rules

The federal government can’t challenge “sanctuary” immigration policies in four North Jersey cities, a judge says.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson.

The Justice Department sued the four cities last year in an attempt to strike down their “sanctuary city” policies. The cities had approved ordinances that limit local police from aiding ICE and other federal immigration agents – except for what is specifically required under federal law.

• Related: Trump Targets NJ Sanctuary Cities — Again
• Related: 'Absurd': NJ Mayors Speak On Federal Suit Against 'Sanctuary Cities'

According to Padin, who was appointed under former president Joe Biden, the Trump administration doesn’t have the legal footing to sue the four cities.

The judge pointed to the state’s existing Immigrant Trust Directive, which is nearly identical to the sanctuary policies in Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson – and has been successfully defended in court multiple times.

Even if the cities didn’t have sanctuary policies, the state’s directive would still be in place, Padin wrote, adding that the federal government has not identified any “concrete injury” that the cities’ sanctuary status has created.

Wednesday’s ruling was cheered by two local officials in the impacted cities.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said the ruling was a decision to “side with democracy.”

“In Newark, no one is a stranger,” Baraka said. “And no one can legislate that. Not yesterday. Not today. Not tomorrow.”

New Jersey Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla, the former mayor of Hoboken, said the court “got it right.”

“They saw right through the Trump administration’s attempt to politicize the Justice Department,” Bhalla said. “Cities and states have every right to decide how their own resources are used, and that includes making sure our tax dollars aren’t spent separating families and deporting our neighbors.”

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