Photo: Alamy
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Tuesday against New Jersey and Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill, challenging a newly issued executive order that restricts federal immigration enforcement activities on state-owned property.
The Justice Department’s complaint targets Executive Order No. 12, signed by Sherrill earlier this month. The order bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal immigration officials from conducting secure arrests of individuals in the country illegally inside nonpublic areas of state facilities, including state correctional institutions, without state authorization.
In the lawsuit, the administration argues the policy interferes with federal authority.
“This law poses an intolerable obstacle to federal immigration enforcement and directly regulates and discriminates against the federal government, in contravention of the Supremacy Clause,” the complaint states.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the order undermines law enforcement efforts.
“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,” Bondi said. “States may not deliberately interfere with our efforts to remove illegal aliens and arrest criminals. New Jersey’s sanctuary policies will not stand.”
The complaint alleges that New Jersey’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities has led to the release of individuals convicted of crimes, including aggravated assault, burglary and drug and human trafficking offenses, who would otherwise face removal proceedings.
Sherrill’s executive order was signed shortly after she took office. Supporters say it is intended to clarify the boundaries between state and federal responsibilities and to protect civil rights. Critics argue it functions as a sanctuary policy that limits cooperation with ICE.
On her first day in office, Bondi directed the Justice Department’s Civil Division to review state and local laws that “facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations.”
The department published a list of what it termed sanctuary jurisdictions in August 2025 and has since brought similar legal challenges against policies in New York City, Minnesota and Los Angeles.
