The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the State of New Jersey and Governor Mikie Sherrill for enacting Executive Order No. 12, which the DOJ claims deliberately interferes with federal immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that “Federal agents are risking their lives to keep New Jersey citizens safe, and yet New Jersey’s leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement.”
The lawsuit asserts that New Jersey’s executive order prohibits Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting secure arrests of criminal illegal aliens in nonpublic areas of state property, including correctional facilities. Bondi emphasized that such policies violate federal immigration law and result in dangerous criminals—convicted of aggravated assault, burglary, drug trafficking, and human smuggling—being released onto streets after police custody.
“States may not deliberately interfere with our efforts to remove illegal aliens and arrest criminals,” Bondi declared in the complaint. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) added: “The DOJ is absolutely right to sue New Jersey over this order that blocks ICE from doing their job. Tying the hands of federal law enforcement doesn’t make anyone safer.”
Sherrill’s administration defended its actions, citing the recent Minneapolis shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti as a key motivation for the executive order. In response to the lawsuit, Sherrill stated: “What the federal government needs to be focused on right now… is actually training their ICE agents with some modicum of training.” Acting State Attorney General Jennifer Davenport further asserted that the legal challenge “is wasting its resources” and that New Jersey’s policies will continue to protect immigrant communities.
The administration has also launched a public portal for New Jersey residents to document interactions with ICE, aiming to strengthen community safety under Sherrill’s leadership. Bondi previously instructed federal prosecutors to identify state laws facilitating immigration law violations, noting that New Jersey’s executive order predates the Department’s August 5, 2025, list of sanctuary jurisdictions.