Trump's DOJ Names 4 NJ Cities 'Sanctuary Jurisdictions'

The United States Justice Department names four cities in New Jersey in its latest list of sanctuary jurisdictions that are violating federal immigration policies.

Hoboken, Jersey City, Paterson and Newark are joined by four counties and 13 states nationwide that are identified as "having policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws." This update brings the declaration down considerably from the total of 500 “sanctuary jurisdictions” that were identified as of May. At the time, 18 of those, including these four, were in New Jersey.

Tuesday's announcement follows months of the federal government filing lawsuits against sanctuary jurisdictions that President Donald Trump says violates the Executive Order he signed in April "Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens."

The Trump administration sued Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City and Paterson, and their Democratic mayors earlier this year, saying they obstructed the access the government had to illegal aliens. Each of the four city councils are also named as defendants.

Some of the actions deemed in violation of Executive Order 14287 include, but are not limited to, public declarations as a sanctuary city or similar site, restrictions on information sharing, funding restrictions, non-cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers.

The Order directs the government to publish a non-exhaustive list identifying these areas that will be further updated once more information is gathered. Each area named has the opportunity to respond to its placement, and remidiate their policies and laws. This would then let the communities be reviewed in order to remove the sanctuary jurisdiction title.

“Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” added United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”

The government lists nine characteristics of sanctuary jurisdictions. They are:

1. Public Declarations — Cities, states, or counties that publicly declare themselves a sanctuary jurisdiction or equivalent, with the intent to undermine federal immigration enforcement.
2. Laws, Ordinances, Executive Directives — Cities, states, or counties that have laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other formalized practices that obstruct or limit local law enforcement cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
3. Restrictions on Information Sharing — Cities, states, or counties that limit whether and how local agencies share information about immigration status of detainees with federal authorities.
4. Funding Restrictions — Cities, states, or counties that prohibit local funds or resources from being used to support federal immigration enforcement efforts.
5. Non-cooperation with Federal Immigration Enforcement — Cities, states, or counties that provide training to city employees and police on enforcing sanctuary policies and declining to respond to ICE requests for information.
6. Limits on ICE Detainers — Cities, states, or counties that refuse to honor ICE detainer requests unless there is a warrant signed by a judge.
7. Jail Access Restrictions — Cities, states, or counties that restrict ICE agents’ ability to interview detainees absent detainee consent.
8. Immigrant Community Affairs Offices — Cities, states, or counties that create dedicated offices to engage and advise illegal alien communities on evading federal law enforcement officers.
9. Federal Benefit Programs — Cities, states, or counties that circumvent federal laws prohibiting the provision of federal benefits to illegal aliens and provide them with access to benefits, including health care assistance, legal aid, food and housing assistance, and other subsidies. This includes cities, states, or counties that establish stand-alone benefit programs or equivalents.

Below are jurisdictions on the list:

Cities

• Albuquerque, NM
• Berkeley, CA
• Boston, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Denver, CO
• East Lansing, MI
• Hoboken, NJ
• Jersey City, NJ
• Los Angeles, CA
• New Orleans, LA
• New York City, NY
• Newark, NJ
• Paterson, NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Portland, OR
• Rochester, NY
• Seattle, WA
• San Francisco City, CA

Counties

• Baltimore County, MD
• Cook County, IL
• San Diego County, CA
• San Francisco County, CA

States

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• Minnesota
• Nevada
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington

Garden State Fallout

Earlier this year, one Democratic official was arrested, another was indicted, and both Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Governor Phil Murphy were placed under fire for their lack of support for federal immigration enforcement efforts. All of these actions were taken under the oversight of the recently ousted, then readmitted, U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, a Trump appointee.

In May, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested for trying to enter a new immigration detention center in Jersey City. After his release, Habba pressed charges accusing him of trespassing. Those charges have since been dropped.

MORE FROM PATCH: New Jersey Reacts After Ras Baraka Arrested Outside ICE Prison

Under Habba, Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted for reportedly "assaulting, resisting and impeding" Homeland Security and ICE officials. McIver says she was there to check on the treatment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees at Delaney Hall, which is in her district. McIver is still facing charges.

"We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short," McIver added. "The charges against me are purely political — they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight."

Habba also directed her office to look further into Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Governor Phil Murphy's cooperation with federal immigration agents in the state, saying that her actions were not political, but "simply against crime." Platkin has pointed to the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Directive that is "settled law that's been upheld by judges appointed by Donald Trump." Under the Trust Directive, local and state police cannot participate in federal efforts to enforce immigration operations or keep anyone detained, only to comply with a civil detainer request.