Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Against Boston Sanctuary City Policy

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that sought to challenge Boston’s sanctuary city policy, marking another legal setback for the administration’s efforts to expand federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that the Department of Justice failed to establish a valid legal basis to sue the City of Boston over its immigration-related ordinance, known as the Boston Trust Act. The decision adds to a series of court defeats for the federal government in cases targeting sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States.

The lawsuit, filed in September, named Boston and Mayor Michelle Wu and challenged the Boston Trust Act, a policy originally enacted in 2014 and reaffirmed by the Boston City Council in December 2024 ahead of President Donald Trump’s return to office. The law limits cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Under the ordinance, Boston police and city officials are prohibited from participating in civil immigration enforcement activities such as detaining individuals for potential deportation based solely on ICE requests or sharing personal information for immigration enforcement purposes.

The Justice Department argued that the policy interfered with federal immigration operations and violated the U.S. Constitution by conflicting with federal immigration laws. However, Judge Sorokin concluded that the federal government lacked standing to pursue the case and failed to demonstrate that striking down the ordinance would resolve the alleged harms.

The judge also pointed to a 2017 ruling by Massachusetts’ highest court, which determined that local law enforcement officers cannot hold non-citizens solely on federal civil immigration detainers. According to Sorokin, even if Boston’s ordinance were invalidated, police departments in Massachusetts would still lack legal authority to carry out the actions sought by federal officials.

“In Massachusetts, there is simply no source of authority empowering Boston police officers to do what the United States would like them to do,” Sorokin wrote in his decision.

The Department of Justice did not immediately comment on the ruling. Legal advocates supporting Boston welcomed the outcome, describing it as a significant victory for local government authority and the rule of law.

Court records indicate that the Trump administration has faced similar setbacks in lawsuits challenging sanctuary policies in states and cities including Colorado, Illinois, and New York, where judges have also dismissed federal claims. The latest decision further reinforces legal protections for sanctuary city policies and highlights ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement efforts and local government autonomy.