The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against New York state, challenging state policies that blocked immigration officials from arresting individuals at or near New York courthouses.

The lobbying wave comes as the Trump administration has dramatically scaled back the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, reduced the size of its foreign bribery unit and advised department attorneys that tax enforcement is "not a priority," two of the people familiar with the matter said.

That includes two monuments in California created by former President Joe Biden at the request of Native American tribes.

A Justice Department memo to US immigration judges noted that they can rapidly grant case dismissals, meaning that immigrants will not be able to respond in court.

Including those two, the Justice Department has fired 17 people who worked on former Special Counsel Jack Smith's team prosecuting Trump since he returned to power in January.

The federal investigation comes after “information” that the state government used affirmative action in their employment practices.

This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law,” US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.

DOJ advises U.S. Attorney Offices to prepare for potential criminal investigations as thousands plan to join nationwide 'No Kings' protests against Trump administration policies on Saturday.