The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it was suing New York State over its migrant policies, accusing state officials of prioritizing “illegal aliens over American citizens.”
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.”
A spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul did not immediately comment, and a copy of the lawsuit was not immediately available in federal court records.
Ms. Hochul was scheduled to head to Washington on Thursday for a hastily arranged lunch at the White House with President Trump, but the trip was canceled once Ms. Bondi announced her intention to sue Ms. Hochul and the state, according to a person familiar with the governor’s plans.
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 legal director at 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.”
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