The Trump administration hit yet another roadblock placed by a Biden-appointed federal judge who dismissed a lawsuit this week that sought to curb sanctuary laws in Illinois that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

On Friday, Northern Illinois District Court Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins dismissed the suit, filed against Illinois, Chicago, and government officials, ruling that the local ordinances are lawful protections not subject to federal enforcement mandates.

In its February filing, the Department of Justice (DOJ) accused the state and city of unlawfully interfering with the administration’s efforts on illegal immigration as it continues to carry out mass deportations.

As the Hill reported, Illinois prevents local officials from providing immigration information “not otherwise publicly available,” while Chicago bars officials from responding to inquiries from ICE without a warrant. State officers are also barred from complying with immigration detainers.

The DOJ alleged those laws and policies were at odds with the U.S. Constitution’s “Supremacy Clause” under the Tenth Amendment. It states, attorneys argued, that federal law preempts state and local laws that may conflict with it.

The Trump administration also argued that those laws were an “intentional effort” to negate federal immigration statutes and claimed that they facilitated the return of criminals to the public.

Judge Jenkins, however, disagreed, saying that the Tenth Amendment protects people from federal government overreach and supports the local law enforcement policy to avoid working with Immigration and Customer Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies.

“It would allow the federal government to commandeer States under the guise of intergovernmental immunity—the exact type of direct regulation of states barred by the Tenth Amendment,” Jenkins wrote in her ruling.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson praised the decision in a post on X and claimed the city is safer when police focus on local law enforcement.

“This ruling affirms what we have long known: that Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance is lawful and supports public safety,” Johnson said. “The City cannot be compelled to cooperate with the Trump Administration’s reckless and inhumane immigration agenda.”

How the Illinois judge’s ruling will impact similar lawsuits brought by the administration in other jurisdictions remains to be seen. As Breitbart News has reported, the U.S. Supreme Court in a June ruling limited the power of local district judges to issue certain orders that impact the entire United States.

Still, as Breitbart News also reported, critics say “activist judges” are “exceeding their authority” and blocking the Trump agenda on a variety of new policies brought by the president.

The Trump administration is suing several jurisdictions over sanctuary policies, including most recently, New York City this week. Other suits include Los Angeles and the states of New York and Colorado.

Attorney General Pam Bondi noted in a post on X that New York is obstructing law enforcement with its sanctuary policies.

“If New York’s leaders won’t step up to protect their citizens, we will,” she wrote.

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.