The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a legal challenge on Friday against New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque, intensifying a national skirmish over immigration enforcement and local autonomy against federal enforcement.
The DOJ, in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, accused the state and city of obstructing federal immigration crackdowns through laws protecting undocumented immigrants and communities from federal enforcement raids.
The Justice Department describes New Mexico’s “Immigrant Safety Act” and Albuquerque’s “Safer Community Places Ordinance” as policies that limit the utilization of local resources for immigration enforcement. These measures, DOJ alleges, restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Federal officials say these laws violate the Constitution by encroaching on areas over which the federal government has exclusive control. The lawsuit names Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Attorney General Raul Torrez, the City of Albuquerque and Mayor Timothy Keller as respondents.
The lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump ramps up efforts to pressure Democratic-led states and cities that have adopted sanctuary-style policies. Albuquerque was included on a Justice Department list of sanctuary jurisdictions last year, effectively putting it in the administration’s crosshairs.
What is at Stake with the DOJ Lawsuit
Justice Department officials contend that the New Mexico and Albuquerque measures disrupt established partnerships between federal immigration agencies and local governments. The complaint said the state law limits where federal immigration agents can go on certain government properties. Albuquerque’s ordinance, the lawsuit said, allegedly obliges companies to alert immigrant workers about enforcement operations.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate contends that state law or local ordinance cannot regulate federal immigration policy because the Constitution grants that authority solely to the federal government. Federal prosecutors also argue that the state law obstructs immigration enforcement operations and threatens economic activity linked to detention facilities in southern New Mexico.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison warned that these state policies could affect nearly 300 jobs linked to immigration detention operations in Otero County. The Justice Department wants the court to issue an injunction to halt enforcement of these policies while the case proceeds.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, however, defended the law. Torrez cited documented harms in immigration detention facilities. He argued that the state should not be part of a system causing preventable harm.
Why Albuquerque Says the Laws Matter
City officials say the lawsuit is not simply about immigration enforcement. It is about whether immigrant communities can engage federal law enforcement without fear.
Mayor Keller, in his social media post, criticized the lawsuit. He called it “an attack on public safety and immigrant communities.”
“I will always stand up for the safety, rights, and dignity of Albuquerque residents,” Keller said in a statement. “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.”
A Broader Constitutional Fight
The case could become a closely watched test of the balance of power between the federal government and state authorities over immigration enforcement.
Similar legal battles became commonplace during Trump’s first presidency, when federal courts repeatedly weighed whether cities and states could limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities and still receive federal funds while maintaining local autonomy. Now, with Trump back in office, immigration once again is at the center of national politics. The New Mexico lawsuit could help shape how far the federal government can go in requiring states and local governments to align with its immigration priorities.
The case, United States v. State of New Mexico et al., is likely to ripple far beyond Albuquerque’s border, particularly as other Democratic-led cities prepare for similar legal challenges from the Trump administration.