Major legal moves are unfolding in Rochester, New York, where Attorney General Letitia James is actively working to defend the immigrant communities through a legal brief. The brief, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, supports local laws that limit the involvement of local authorities in federal immigration enforcement. According to a press release from the New York Attorney General's Office, James believes these laws are instrumental in keeping communities safe by allowing law enforcement to prioritize fighting crime and reducing gun violence.
"For years, these laws in Rochester and cities throughout New York have kept New Yorkers safe," said Attorney General James in the statement obtained by the New York Attorney General's Office. She is challenging the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Rochester, which claims that the city's sanctuary law is preempted by federal law. James, conversely, argues that the law does not to only violate the Constitution but that the 10th amendment reserves police powers for states and their municipalities.
Sanctuary laws like Rochester's are designed to build trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement, ensuring that locals can spend resources on issues within their area. First enacted in 1986 and updated in 2017, Rochester's law encourages immigrants to report crimes, serve as witnesses, and seek medical care or social services without the fear of deportation. Research shows that heavy involvement of local police in immigration enforcement decreases these community interactions, making immigrants more susceptible to becoming crime victims or suffering exploitation.
Attorney General James emphasized that mandating local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration policies places undue strain on local officials, which can detract from addressing local needs. Echoing her stance, a former Rochester police chief explained the city's 2017 law was instituted specifically to avoid diverting critical resources away from pressing public safety priorities. James is urging the court to grant judgment in Rochester’s favor, upholding the city's sanctuary law and, by extension, the state’s autonomy in managing its public safety.
Throughout her tenure, Attorney General James has positioned herself as a defender of immigrant rights on a national scale. Notable efforts include her joining a coalition of states in July to defend legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children and supporting a lawsuit against the federal government's immigration enforcement tactics in Los Angeles. Most recently, she co-led a coalition in defense of Venezuelan immigrants facing the potential loss of their Temporary Protected Status due to policy changes initiated during the Trump administration.
