Dive Brief:
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The U.S. Justice Department on Friday sued Albuquerque, New Mexico, challenging the city’s Safer Community Places Ordinance that prohibits city-owned property or resources from being used to facilitate immigration enforcement, restricts immigration enforcement in certain locations and requires businesses to notify workers within 24 hours of when immigration enforcement agents are present.
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The lawsuit, filed in New Mexico District Court, also alleges New Mexico “is trying to abolish decades of long-standing, voluntary partnerships between local governments and federal authorities that are essential for enforcing immigration laws” following the state’s implementation of the Immigrant Safety Act prohibiting use of public property to detain individuals for federal civil immigration violations, according to a DOJ press release.
- “I will always stand up for the safety, rights, and dignity of Albuquerque residents,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement Saturday. “Our policies ensure ALL families can call 911, send their kids to school, and access City services without fear, while making clear that City resources are not tools for federal immigration raids. We are ready to defend our community, our values, and our public safety in court.”
Dive Insight:
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the ISA, set to take effect on May 20, in February. Keller signed the SCPO, which took effect April 8, in March.
“The State of New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque seek to intentionally obstruct federal law enforcement by preventing cooperation between local governments and the federal government,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico said in a statement. Ellison said the laws “unlawfully interfere with federal immigration enforcement, illegally discriminate against federal operations, and violate constitutional protections regarding contracts and federal supremacy.”
The DOJ lawsuit seeks to declare the state and municipal laws unconstitutional and demands a preliminary and permanent injunction against their enforcement.
This is the latest in a string of sanctuary-policy lawsuits the DOJ has filed involving several cities, including Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York City, in the past year.
Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis, who opposed the SCPO, said in a Friday statement that Keller “deserves to be sued for his reckless promotion of dangerous sanctuary policies that undermine cooperation between law enforcement agencies and put everyone at risk.”
“Most people in our City agree that there is a public safety benefit when local, state and federal law enforcement work together to enforce the law and protect innocent people,” Lewis said.
