The Daily Fuckup

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against New Jersey on February 23, 2026, and publicly announced it on February 24, 2026, after the state issued Executive Order No. 12. The order limits Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal immigration officials from making arrests in nonpublic areas of state property, including correctional facilities. DOJ says the policy interferes with federal immigration enforcement and is preempted by the Supremacy Clause. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-against-new-jersey-interfering-federal-immigration-laws?utm_source=openai))

The department has described the case as part of a wider push against sanctuary policies. In the New Jersey release, DOJ said the suit was one in a series of immigration-enforcement cases filed across the country. A separate April 13 release on Connecticut and New Haven used the same framing, calling that case the latest in a broader run of sanctuary-policy litigation. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-against-new-jersey-interfering-federal-immigration-laws?utm_source=openai))

On the merits, the fight is over control: whether a state can limit where federal immigration arrests happen on state property and still keep those limits out of federal court. DOJ’s answer is no. New Jersey’s answer, for now, is in the complaint. The result is another test of how far states can go when they try to fence off their own spaces from federal immigration officers. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-against-new-jersey-interfering-federal-immigration-laws?utm_source=openai))

The practical outcome still depends on the courts. A filed complaint does not by itself change state procedure. If the government wins and the ruling survives appeal, the state will have to adjust. If it loses, the policy fight stays where it already is: on the docket, not on the street. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-against-new-jersey-interfering-federal-immigration-laws?utm_source=openai))