NEW YORK, CMC – New York Attorney General Letitia James and Caribbean immigration advocates here have welcomed a United States federal judge’s dismissal of a Trump administration lawsuit challenging New York’s Protect Our Courts Act.
“Everyone deserves to seek justice without fear. This ruling ensures that anyone can use New York’s state courts without being targeted by federal authorities,” James told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Wednesday.
“My office will continue fighting to defend the dignity and rights of immigrant communities throughout New York,” she added.
On Tuesday, Judge Mae Avila D’Agostino in the Northern District of New York dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against New York State over limits on federal immigration enforcement at state and local courts.
In 2020, New York State enacted the Protect Our Courts Act and two executive orders that prohibited US federal immigration agents from making arrests at courthouses without having a judicial warrant.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi filed the lawsuit challenging this.
In 2020, James secured a landmark ruling preventing the first Trump administration from conducting civil immigration arrests in and around New York courthouses.
Later that year, New York codified those protections by enacting the Protect Our Courts Act.
In June 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sought to strike down the law. Still, on Tuesday, the US District Court for the Northern District of New York dismissed the lawsuit, holding that nothing in federal immigration law preempts New York’s authority to safeguard access to its courts.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), said this ruling does not affect immigration arrests at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan or at other federal courthouses.
NYIC is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York.
“Every New Yorker deserves to participate in our justice system without fear that, just by showing up to court, they will be abducted and separated from their families,” Awawdeh told CMC.
“When ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agency arrests people who show up for their court cases, it disincentivizes people from following the legal processes outlined in our country,” he added. “Courthouses must be a place of justice, not a trap used to terrorize and disappear immigrant New Yorkers.
“Judge D’Agostino’s ruling is an important step towards maintaining the integrity of local and state courts in New York,” Awawdeh continued. “New York must further its commitment to the safety of all New Yorkers by passing the New York For All Act, and the federal government must stop its unlawful detentions of New Yorkers at federal immigration courts throughout the state.”
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