The Trump administration has sued New Jersey over an executive order that limits federal immigration enforcement on state property. The Justice Department filed the complaint Monday in federal court in Trenton, challenging Governo Mikie Sherrill’s Executive Order No. 12, which bars U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal officials from making arrests in nonpublic areas, including correctional facilities, courthouses, and other state-owned sites.
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The lawsuit contends that the order hampers federal immigration operations and infringes on the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. It claims the policy allows individuals convicted of offenses such as aggravated assault, burglary, and drug or human trafficking to avoid federal removal. The complaint also notes that the executive order prevents ICE from using state facilities as staging, processing, or transfer sites for detainers and other enforcement actions.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the risks posed to federal officers and the public. “Federal agents are risking their lives to keep New Jersey citizens safe, and yet New Jersey’s leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement,” she remarked.
Sherrill defended her order, asserting the state’s focus remains on resident safety. “What I think the federal government needs to be focused on right now, instead of attacking states like New Jersey working to keep people safe, is actually training their ICE agents,” she stated. Acting state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport described the lawsuit as a “pointless legal challenge” and stated the state would continue protecting its immigrant communities.
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The New Jersey case is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to challenge sanctuary policies nationwide, including lawsuits against cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well as states including Minnesota and Colorado.
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