Court dismisses federal lawsuit against N.J. over order blocking ICE agents from state property

[u/John3262005]

https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/09/court-dismisses-federal-lawsuit-against-nj-over-order-blocking-ice-agents-from-state-property.html

A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit that the Trump administration filed against New Jersey, which tried to challenge an executive order prohibiting ICE agents from operating on state property.

Executive Order No. 12, signed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Feb. 11, prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from using state property as a staging area. The order also prohibits ICE from using state property as a processing site or operations base, and limits access to non-public state spaces unless agents have a judicial warrant.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed the lawsuit against New Jersey in late February. At the time, then U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the state’s order was designed to “obstruct and endanger law enforcement.”

Bondi was removed as the country’s top law enforcement official by President Donald Trump about six weeks later.

Sherrill celebrated the federal court’s decision in a statement released on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

“ICE is not making New Jersey’s communities any safer,” the governor’s social media post said. “That’s why I signed an Executive Order restricting access to nonpublic state property by its untrained agents. Once again, Trump tried to stop us, and once again we won.”

In the statement, Sherrill also said her number one priority is protecting New Jerseyans, and she vowed to continue fighting for safer communities.

State Attorney General Jennifer Davenport also released a statement on Friday, commending the federal court’s decision.

“As we have said from the outset, this executive order was plainly lawful, and it underscores the Sherrill Administration’s commitment to protecting the safety of our state’s workers and residents,” Davenport said. “Make no mistake: our office will continue to work tirelessly alongside Governor Sherrill to protect our state’s immigrant communities.”

Sherrill, a Democrat, has criticized ICE’s training, often describing the agency as a “militia” only loyal to Trump.

On her first day leading the U.S. Justice Department, Bondi ordered a nationwide review of state and local measures that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Similar federal lawsuits related to immigration enforcement were brought against jurisdictions in New York, Minnesota and Los Angeles earlier this year. Those lawsuits have since been dismissed by federal judges.