Federal Judge Throws Out Trump Administration Challenge to Boston Sanctuary Immigration Law

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin dismissed the lawsuit on May 28, 2026, against Boston and Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu. The lawsuit was filed in September 2025 challenging the Boston Trust Act, first adopted in 2014. Massachusetts' highest court ruled in 2017 that law enforcement is barred from detaining non-citizens based solely on federal civil immigration detainers. The Justice Department has lost every similar case, with judges tossing four other lawsuits in Colorado, Illinois and New York.

Federal lawsuit dismissal

• ▪Jill Habig's group the Public Rights Project helped defend Boston against the lawsuit.
• ▪The lawsuit against Boston was filed in September 2025 against the city and Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu.
• ▪U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama.
• ▪U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin threw out a lawsuit that the Trump administration filed challenging a Boston ordinance that restricts police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement on May 28, 2026.

Boston Trust Act provisions

• ▪The Boston Trust Act bars city officials from keeping migrants for potential deportation or sharing their personal information with federal immigration authorities.
• ▪The Boston city council reaffirmed its support for the Boston Trust Act in December 2024 as Trump prepared to return to office.
• ▪The Boston Trust Act bars the Boston Police Department and other city officials from collaborating with federal authorities including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct civil immigration enforcement.
• ▪The Boston Trust Act was first adopted in 2014.
• ▪The U.S. Department of Justice argued that the Boston Trust Act provisions impeded federal immigration enforcement in violation of the U.S. Constitution and were preempted by federal immigration law.

Legal standing deficiency

• ▪U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that the Trump administration could not show any ruling in its favor would remedy the harms the federal government alleged it was suffering.
• ▪U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice lacked legal grounds to pursue the lawsuit against Boston.
• ▪U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that the Trump administration failed to demonstrate it had legal standing to challenge the Boston Trust Act.

Massachusetts state court precedent

• ▪U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin wrote that in Massachusetts, there is no source of authority empowering Boston police officers to do what the United States would like them to do.
• ▪U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that even if he blocked Boston's law, Boston police would still not be able to assist ICE in the way the Justice Department wanted due to the 2017 Massachusetts state court ruling.
• ▪Massachusetts' highest court ruled in 2017 during Trump's first term that law enforcement in the state is barred from detaining non-citizens based solely on a federal civil immigration detainer.

Nationwide sanctuary policy litigation

• ▪The Justice Department has lost every similar case against cities and states with sanctuary policies, with judges tossing four other lawsuits in Colorado, Illinois and New York.
• ▪The U.S. Department of Justice has filed around a dozen lawsuits challenging laws adopted by so-called sanctuary jurisdictions run by Democrats.

Perspective of U.S. Department of Justice

• ▪The U.S. Department of Justice has filed around a dozen lawsuits challenging laws adopted by so-called sanctuary jurisdictions run by Democrats.
• ▪The U.S. Department of Justice argued that the Boston Trust Act provisions impeded federal immigration enforcement in violation of the U.S. Constitution and were preempted by federal immigration law.

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