Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla today announced that the City of Hoboken will seek to reinforce and revise its immigration protection policies, rejecting US Attorney General Pamela Bondi’s demands for the City to eliminate its Fair & Welcoming City designation.
In a letter dated Aug. 13 to Mayor Bhalla, Attorney General Bondi threatens potential loss of federal funding and possible criminal prosecution of local officials if the City does not comply with federal immigration enforcement directives.
“Attorney General Bondi’s threats are an abuse of power and an attempt by the Trump Administration to intimidate us into abandoning our morals and values,” said Mayor Bhalla. “Hoboken is a city built by immigrants, and as the nation witnesses the tearing apart of families and the inhumane treatment of our neighbors, we will not back down from protecting our residents. Immigration enforcement is the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government. The City of Hoboken will not expend local resources to enforce the federal government’s draconian immigration policies.”
Hoboken was among the first cities in New Jersey to adopt comprehensive immigrant protections. On his first day in office in January 2018, Mayor Bhalla signed an executive order designating Hoboken a Fair & Welcoming City. The designation mandates, among other things, that local law enforcement resources will not be expended in the enforcement of federal immigration laws, and that the application of the law shall be equal irrespective of immigration status.
The City of Hoboken and its mayor are among three in New Jersey named in active federal litigation filed by the Department of Justice in May 2025 (The United States of America v. City of Hoboken, et al., Docket No.: 2:25-cv-05081-EP) for their sanctuary policies.
Additionally, the Aug. 13 letter will be referred to the State of New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics and the Florida Bar’s Division of Lawyer Regulation for possible violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct by Attorney General Bondi.
