A federal judge in Rochester, New York, has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against the city over its sanctuary policies, delivering a significant setback to the Justice Department’s efforts to compel local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., an Obama appointee, granted the city’s motion to dismiss on Tuesday and tossed the Justice Department’s amended complaint with prejudice, meaning the administration cannot refile the same claims in that court. He also denied the government’s motion for summary judgment as moot.
The ruling is the latest chapter in a legal clash that began in April 2025, when the Justice Department sued Rochester, Democratic Mayor Malik Evans, the City Council, and Council President Miguel Meléndez Jr. The administration argued that the city’s sanctuary ordinances intentionally obstructed federal immigration enforcement, unlawfully discriminated against federal authorities, and violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
Sanctuary Policies at Issue
Rochester’s policies, which date back to 1986 and were reaffirmed and strengthened in 2017 and again during the litigation, bar city personnel from using local resources to assist federal civil immigration enforcement except where specifically required by law. City police are also restricted from asking about immigration status, honoring civil immigration detainers, or assisting ICE and other federal agencies without specific authorization.
The dispute came to a head after a March 24, 2025, traffic stop in which ten Rochester officers responded to an emergency request from federal agents and helped remove three Guatemalan nationals from a van, taking them into custody. Mayor Evans and Police Chief David Smith later accused the officers of violating the city’s sanctuary policy and ordered additional training.
One of the men, Wilson Oswaldo Galvan-Lopez, had been deported in 2023 and later pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States. He was turned over to ICE. Yet city leaders focused on the officers’ actions rather than the man’s unlawful return, a stance the administration argued exemplified obstruction.
Judge’s Reasoning
Judge Geraci rejected the Justice Department’s core argument that two federal information-sharing statutes — 8 U.S.C. §§ 1373 and 1644 — preempt Rochester’s policies. He concluded those statutes regulate state and local government entities, not private individuals, and therefore cannot override local laws.
“There is no way to read §§ 1373 or 1644 as regulating anyone other than states and their political subdivisions,” Geraci wrote.
The judge also found the administration failed to show that Rochester’s policies unlawfully discriminate against the federal government. According to Geraci, the city’s refusal to assist ICE merely “decline[s] to ease the burden of civil immigration enforcement” and does not impose an unconstitutional burden on Washington.
Further, he ruled that Rochester’s policies apply only to city officials, not federal agents. “They do not dictate how the federal government must act,” the judge wrote.
The court denied the Justice Department another chance to amend its complaint, noting the administration had already revised its lawsuit once after Rochester expanded its sanctuary protections in 2025.
Reaction and Next Steps
Mayor Evans welcomed the ruling Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of “grandstanding” and insisting Rochester would not be “coerced into doing the federal government’s work of immigration enforcement.”
The Justice Department has not indicated whether it will appeal to the Second Circuit, leaving the door open for further litigation.
Judge Geraci was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2012 and took senior status in 2023. The ruling marks a notable legal victory for sanctuary cities, which have faced increasing pressure from the Trump administration over their refusal to cooperate with ICE.
As the case moves toward a possible appeal, the decision could influence similar disputes in other jurisdictions, where local officials are testing the limits of federal authority over immigration enforcement.
Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com — https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/obama-appointed-judge-hands-sanctuary-city-win-throws/