Under new management, the U.S. Justice Department is taking legal action against one of the largest “sanctuary cities” in the country. Late Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is filing lawsuits against New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D), Attorney General Letitia James (D), and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder (D) for illegally issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants in the Empire State.

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today,” Bondi said at a press conference. “We’re here today because we have filed charges against this. Violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, human smugglers will no longer terrorize the American people,” she continued.

Almost immediately upon assuming the office of attorney general, Bondi also filed a lawsuit against Illinois state leaders and Chicago city officials, citing the state and local “sanctuary” policies protecting illegal immigrants, specifically Illinois laws and city ordinances prohibiting local law enforcement from cooperating with U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or investigating the immigration status of individuals within the state. “[W]e see Illinois and New York didn’t listen. So now you’re next,” Bondi said Wednesday. She warned, “We did it to Illinois. Strike one. Strike two is New York. And if you’re a state not complying with federal law? You’re next.”

The lawsuit filed against New York focuses on the state’s Green Light Law, which allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, and, as is the case in the lawsuit against Illinois and Chicago, forbids law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. “The United States is currently facing a crisis of illegal immigration,” the lawsuit begins. It continues to declare that “a State’s freedom to stand aside is not a freedom to stand in the way. And where inaction crosses into obstruction, a State breaks the law. The State of New York is doing just that. It must be stopped.”

Bondi also hinted that criminal prosecutions may be forthcoming if states and cities continue ignoring federal immigration law. “This is a new DOJ, and we are taking steps to protect Americans,” she stated. In a subsequent social media post, she added, “If you are not complying with federal law — you are next.”

Border czar and former ICE chief Tom Homan has previously derided “sanctuary cities,” confirming that they “are difficult to operate in.” He named New York and Chicago as two of the most problematic cities for deportations, alongside Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Ahead of Bondi’s actions, Homan had warned state and city officials of legal consequences and potential criminal prosecutions for ignoring federal immigration law or obstructing ICE operations. “You can not help, but don’t impede us and don’t knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from ICE, because that is a felony,” the border czar warned “sanctuary city” officials before beginning deportations.

In Wednesday’s press conference, Bondi also pledged to prosecute individuals responsible for leaking deportation raid plans. “We will not stand for it. We will find you,” she stated. The attorney general continued, “We’re going to investigate it, no matter what agency it came from. We don’t know for certain. We have an open investigation, so I can’t talk about it in detail, but we will do everything in our power to hold you accountable. And it is a crime, and you will be prosecuted when we find you.” Regarding ICE leaks, Bondi explained that “anytime anyone leaks or tips off anything regarding a pending investigation, that jeopardizes lives. You’re telling a bad guy what’s about to happen. It could jeopardize the lives of all the men and women in law enforcement.”

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House late last month, several ICE operations have been leaked to the public. A deportation raid on Chicago had to be postponed after plans were published by The Wall Street Journal, another raid on Los Angeles was leaked to the press last week, and plans for a raid on Aurora, Colorado were leaked to members of the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang earlier this month, allowing gang members to evade arrest. Both Homan and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem have said that the leaks likely came from within the FBI.