Federal judge dismisses sanctuary city lawsuit; Bhalla urges local action

A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit challenging sanctuary policies in Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson, prompting Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla to call on more New Jersey municipalities to adopt local protections for immigrants.

U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit on Wednesday, finding that the federal government’s legal challenge failed because it treated the municipalities’ sanctuary policies as if they operated independently from New Jersey law.

In her 28-page opinion, Padin wrote that the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive already governs law enforcement agencies statewide by limiting voluntary cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement beyond what federal law requires. Because the directive independently binds local police departments, the judge concluded the federal government’s challenge to the municipal policies could not succeed.

Bhalla, who signed an executive order making Hoboken a “Fair and Welcoming City” as his first official act as mayor in 2018, said the ruling affirms the right of cities and states to decide how local resources are used.

“The court got it right here, and they saw right through the Trump administration’s attempt to politicize the Justice Department,” Bhalla said in a statement. “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. This is a huge win for the people of New Jersey.”

Bhalla said the state’s recently enacted Immigrant Trust Act was “a step in the right direction,” but argued municipalities should now adopt their own local policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

“As we did in Hoboken, communities in New Jersey should enact local laws to protect vulnerable immigrant communities and ensure local government does not cooperate with ICE and its inhumane federal immigration policies,” he said.

Bhalla also cited the use of Delaney Hall as an immigration detention center, saying it demonstrates why municipalities should adopt protections that go beyond state law.

“The inhumane incarceration of civilian detainees in Delaney Hall is a reminder that municipalities should adopt even stronger protections than the State,” he said. “Now is the time to act and ensure we live up to our ideals of equal rights and due process under the law.”