The administration of President Donald Trump has made it very clear that cracking down on illegal immigration is one of its top priorities — if not the top priority.
Trump has empowered agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, cutting away much of the previous administration’s orders that had effectively hamstrung those groups.
It’s a platform that Trump has essentially campaigned on three times, and it’s one that clearly resonates with his base.
(“Build the wall!” for example.)
Despite that, however, the president has faced all manner of resistance to his crackdown efforts, particularly from Democratic states and associated sanctuary cities.
Most recently, Trump has entered a very public feud with California’s Democratic leadership over the anti-ICE riots that have turned violent in Los Angeles.
Trump’s critics argued that the president’s deployment of the National Guard and, eventually, the Marines, had only escalated and worsened the tensions.
The Trump administration countered that criminal activity was what prompted its response in the first place.
But while those fires smolder, the Trump administration is setting its sights on a different reliably Democratic state.
Do you approve of the job Pam Bondi has done as AG?
On Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that “the United States filed a complaint against the State of New York, challenging state policies that blocked immigration officials from arresting individuals at or near New York courthouses.
“Specifically, the complaint challenges a law, called the Protect Our Courts Act, that purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained at or on their way to or from a courthouse and imposes criminal liability for violations of the shield.
“This law and accompanying polices violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution because they obstruct the execution of federal immigration authorities.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi warned of the destruction that “lawless sanctuary” policies can wreak.
“Lawless sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the violence that Americans have seen in California, and New York State is similarly employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension,” Bondi said.
“This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law,” she added.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate also echoed those concerns, noting that the policies were a massive impediment.
“Through these enactments, New York obstructs federal law enforcement and facilitates the evasion of federal law by dangerous criminals, notwithstanding federal agents’ statutory mandate to detain and remove illegal aliens,” Shumate said.
This DOJ release was released the same day the president suggested possibly shifting his hardline stance on illegal immigration enforcement.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.12.25 09:43 AM EST pic.twitter.com/UVZzNs5MNp
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 12, 2025
Citing concerns among certain business sectors, the president promised that “changes are coming” to his current immigration policies, such that companies in the agriculture and tourism sectors can access labor from illegal aliens.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
