Rochester sued over sanctuary city policy

Gary Craig

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle USA TODAY NETWORK

DOJ highlights officers’ traffic stop response

The administration of President Trump has sued the City of Rochester over its sanctuary city policies that limit cooperation with immigration officials.

The Trump administration has been aggressively pushing the deportation of immigrants, maintaining that the country faces a crisis. The policies and intense enforcement have met roadblocks in courts, with claims that the jurisprudence foundation of due process has been denied.

Federal judges across the country have found fault with the policies, including one judge who has prohibited the administration from yanking federal funds from localities that have enacted sanctuary protections.

The lawsuit from the Department of Justice, filed April 24, highlights a recent incident in which Rochester police were called as backup to immigration officials who were making a traffic stop.

What does Rochester say about sanctuary city status?

City officials have said Rochester officers can and should respond to calls for emergency backup to ensure the safety of law enforcement partners, but claim the officers broke the department's sanctuary city policy

when they removed two individuals from the van and placed them in handcuffs.

In its lawsuit, the Department of Justice uses the criticisms of police about the episode – including statements from Mayor Malik Evans – as evidence of administration claims that sanctuary policies fail law-abiding citizens.

The lawsuit requests that a judge order the city to scrap the policies. Rochester first enacted the sanctuary city policies in 1986 and reaffirmed in 2017.

The administration alleges that the policies illegally impede federal attempts to control illegal immigration.