Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Wednesday, February 12, that the Justice Department is suing the state of New York and its top officials, accusing them of prioritizing "illegal aliens over American citizens."
"As you know, we sued Illinois and New York didn't listen. So now you're next," Bondi said. In her first news conference since taking office, Bondi claimed that "millions" of people with violent records had entered communities, bringing violence and drugs, and blamed states like New York for contributing to the issue through permissive immigration policies.
The lawsuit names the state of New York, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and Mark Schroeder, the state's motor vehicles commissioner. Hochul's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
James defended the state's laws, saying, "I am prepared to defend our laws, just as I always have."
Bondi argued that New York's policies limit law enforcement agencies from working with immigration authorities, allowing criminals to operate with impunity. She introduced an "Angel Mom," Tammy Nobles, whose 20-year-old daughter, Kayla Hamilton, was killed in 2022 by a member of the MS-13 gang in New York.
"Yet he was released, flown to Maryland, where he committed this violent murder," Bondi said.
She did not provide specific legal violations by New York but asserted that its policies hinder law enforcement from running background checks on potentially violent offenders in the country illegally.
The Justice Department filed a similar lawsuit against Illinois and Chicago last week, alleging their sanctuary policies obstruct federal immigration enforcement.
Bondi’s news conference followed a series of federal court rulings temporarily blocking President Donald Trump's policies, including his attempts to freeze spending, cut the federal workforce, end automatic citizenship for children born on U.S. soil, and send transgender women to men’s prisons. A judge in Boston, however, allowed Trump's federal employee buyout plan to proceed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized the rulings, saying, "77 million Americans voted to elect this president. Each injunction is an abuse of the rule of law and an attempt to thwart the will of the people."
Trump has stated that he will comply with the rulings but will pursue legal avenues to overturn them. Bondi dismissed the possibility of judicial impeachments, as suggested by Trump aide Elon Musk.
"We’re going to follow the law right now. We’re going to follow the process," Bondi said. "These are federal judges with lifetime appointments. But they will be struck down ultimately by the Supreme Court of the United States if the appellate courts don’t follow the law as well."
A former Florida attorney general and 18-year state prosecutor, Bondi previously defended Trump during his first impeachment.
Trump appointed several of his former defence lawyers to top Justice Department positions, including Todd Blanche and Emil Bove as deputy and principal associate deputy attorneys general, respectively, and John Sauer as solicitor general.
At her confirmation hearing, Bondi assured lawmakers that her role at the Justice Department would be free of political influence.
"Politics will not play a part," Bondi said. “I've demonstrated that my entire career as a prosecutor, as attorney general, and I will continue to do that.” Since then, Trump has pardoned nearly all individuals charged in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, and the Justice Department has dismissed prosecutors who participated in the investigation.
