The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a federal lawsuit against the state of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque for considering that their local policies interfere with the application of immigration laws imposed by the government of President Donald Trump.

The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, also includes Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, state AttorneyGeneral Raul Torrez and Albuquerque Mayor Timothy Keller.

The DOJ argues that the implementation of Law HB9, known as the“Immigrant Security Act,” as well as the municipal ordinance named “Safe Exterior Spaces Ordinance”, limits cooperation between local authorities and federal agents in charge of immigration operations.

According to the U.S. government, these provisions make it difficult for federal authorities to use local public facilities for immigration-related tasks and also require certain private businesses to alert undocumented people about immigration control operations.

“New Mexico is attempting to regulate immigration policy, something that the Constitution grants clearly and exclusively to the federal government,” declared deputy attorney-general Brett A. Shumate, a member of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.

The official added that the lawsuit seeks to “preserve cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement” and guarantee that immigration authorities can enforce the law.

For his part, Ryan Ellison, first deputy federal prosecutor for the District of New Mexico, accused state and municipal authorities of “intentionally obstructing” the implementation of federal immigration legislation.

Ellison stated that the measures promoted in New Mexico could affect historic collaboration agreements between local and federal agencies, in addition to putting jobs and economic activities at risk linked to immigration detention centers in the state.

The lawsuit is part of the strategy promoted by the Trump administration against the so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions”, cities and states that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

According to the official statement, the DOJ began since February 2025 to identify state and local policies that, in its judgment, facilitate violations of immigration laws or interfere with federal operations.

In August of the same year, Albuquerque was included in a list of sanctuary jurisdictions prepared by the federal government.

So far, New Mexico authorities have not issued a detailed official position on the lawsuit. The case remains open and, according to the Department of Justice itself, the accusations presented have not yet been proven in court.