NJ cities seek the dismissal of fed suit
Say states have the right to set deportation policy
By: Ricardo Kaulesar
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Four North Jersey cities want the federal government's lawsuit against them dismissed for allegedly interfering with the government's effort to deport undocumented immigrates.
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The Justice Department on May 22 [2025] field a lawsuit against Newark, Paterson, Hoboken and Jersey City. it is part of the Trump administration's targeting of sanctuary cities that the president sees as interfering with his mass deportation plans, which could deport as many as 11 million undocumented immigrants, including 470,000 who reside in New Jersey.
..... former New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, who is representing Hoboken and Newark, sent a letter on August 28 [2025] to Judge Evelyn Padin of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, requesting that the case be dismissed against officials of those sites. On the same day, the attorney for Jersey City, Brittany Murphy, also sent a letter to Padin seeking dismissal of the suit against officials in her city. Paterson's law department did the same.
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Grewal in his letter, said the lawsuit should be dismissed on three points: lacks standing, cannot succeed on the merits, and the city's policies do not "impose any requirements on the Federal government."
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"In short, Plaintiffs cannot succeed in this suit. And it is critical to Defendants to dispose of this challenge expeditiously to maintain public safety and to protect the delicate trust Defendants have built with their communities," Grewal said in the letter.
..... He said that the cities were following the state's Immigrant Trust Directive that limits New Jersey state and local agencies from sharing personal information with ICE or assisting federal officers in the field when they are enforcing civil warrants.
..... The directive was issued in 2018 during the first Trump administration, when Grewal was serving New Jersey's attorney general, to encourage immigrant communities to report crimes and work with local police rather than fear that cooperating could lead to deportation.
..... Grewal said federal law does not overrule the directive as decided in a 2021 federal ruling, and the lawsuit violates the Tenth amendment, which blocks the federal government from compelling states to implement national mitigation policies.
Other cities seek dismissal
..... Jersey City and Paterson also followed suit in wanting the lawsuit dismissed.
..... Murphy, Jersey City's acting corporation counsel, brought up the same points as Grewal while taking the government to task for its lawsuit attempting to interfere with the city's law enforcement.
..... "Local law enforcement must be able to focus on their regular duties to maintain order and safety for Jersey City's nearly 300,000 residents. use of city resources for local public safety should not be manipulated by the Plaintiff as noncompliance with the law,' Murphy said in her letter.
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Meanwhile, lawyers for the city of Paterson said in there letter, "In sum, Plaintiff has no basis for challenging the city's policies."
..... NorthJersey.com reached out to the mayors of Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson for comment.
..... "Hoboken is confident in the legality of our fair and welcoming policies, and we believe this case is rooted in politics, not law," Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement to NorthJersey.com .
..... "We're seeking its immediate dismissal because our city has the right to uphold the values of inclusion, justice, equality and public safety without federal overreach and intimidation. I have full faith in the courts to recognize this case for what it is and to allow us to continue protecting our residents in accordance with their constitutional rights, in a way that reflects our community's values and respect for the rules of law."
..... Natalie Baldassarre, a Justice Department spokesperson, declined to comment
..... Officials for Jersey City, Newark and Paterson did not respond to a request for comment.