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US President Donald Trump's administration sued New York City on Thursday over its "sanctuary city" policies, arguing they are obstructing the federal government's ability to enforce immigration law.
New York is one of a number of US cities that prohibit local police from making arrests based on a person's immigration status. The sanctuary cities also limit their cooperation and information sharing with federal authorities.
Trump has repeatedly criticized such policies.
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What did the Trump administration say?
"New York City has released thousands of criminals on the streets to commit violent crimes against law-abiding citizens due to sanctuary city policies," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. "If New York City won't stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will."
The lawsuit against New York City also names Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and numerous other city officials and departments.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said New York City "has been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing our immigration laws.
"Its efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement end now," Shumate said.
Clamping down on undocumented migrants
The US president has been cracking down on undocumented migrants in the country, ramping up detentions and deportations.
The Trump administration has previously sued other sanctuary cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as states like Colorado and Illinois for interfering with immigration enforcement.
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The suit comes after the shooting of a Customs and Border Protection officer in a Manhattan park over the weekend. The officer was off duty and not in uniform at the time.
The Trump administration on Monday blamed the city's sanctuary policies for the shooting.
Authorities have said the two men apprehended in connection with the incident have been arrested a number of times since they entered the US illegally from the Dominican Republic in recent years.
Trump has repeatedly said that undocumented migrants are disproportionately responsible for crime.
During his presidential campaign, he likened them to "animals" and "monsters," and vowed to launch the biggest deportation drive in US history.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
