A Brooklyn federal court on Thursday rejected the administration's bid to invalidate New York City's sanctuary policies, which allow municipal officials to refrain from handing over undocumented individuals to federal immigration agents in the absence of a judicial arrest warrant.

Judge Ramón Reyes Jr. found a standing deficiency in the government's case, ruling that the federal filing failed to clear that threshold. Reyes further determined that the administration's legal arguments would not hold up even in a scenario where the government held standing to bring a lawsuit.

In his written opinion, the judge held that the statutes invoked by the government apply only to federal actors, not private parties, and that nothing in federal law obliges states or municipalities to assist with — or participate in — immigration enforcement operations. The ruling turned aside the administration's 2025 legal effort to halt the city's local ordinances.

Federal attorneys had contended that the statutes undermine national jurisdiction over immigration enforcement and place practical obstacles before agents — among them, blocked access to detainee custody records, scheduled hearing dates, and upcoming release times.

In his legal filing, Reyes took the position that municipal rules were not superseded by federal law, as the administration had argued. He held that accepting the government's reasoning would open a path to circumventing Tenth Amendment protections, effectively compelling local jurisdictions to direct their personnel and resources toward federal immigration enforcement operations.

Reyes observed that removing the contested provisions would place no obligation on New York City to take on federal enforcement duties, while leaving intact the municipality's authority over how its workforce, land, and related assets are deployed. Among the possibilities he outlined were the detention of individuals and the exchange of information across agencies — steps that state law may not permit.

The decision drew an expression of support from Murad Awawdeh, who leads the New York Immigration Coalition as its president and chief executive. The position put forward held that both constitutional and state-level authority to enact public-safety legislation remained intact, with the legal action framed as an attempt to circumvent Tenth Amendment protections.

Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security had provided a response by the time of publication.

Sanctuary protections for the city took shape under Mayor Edward Koch's administration, with formal policies put in place during 1989. The lawsuit was filed following events in July 2025, when two men holding Dominican Republic nationality were taken into custody after a Customs and Border Protection officer — off duty at the time — was targeted in a robbery attempt at a Manhattan park.