U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has threatened to cut the City of Hoboken’s federal funding if they do not cooperate with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which Mayor Ravi Bhalla says they still won’t do.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“You are hereby notified that your jurisdiction has been identified as one that engages in
sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States,” Bondi wrote to Bhalla in an August 13th letter.
“This ends now. By Tuesday, August 19, 2025, please submit a response to this letter that confirms your commitment to complying with federal law and identifies the immediate initiatives you are taking to eliminate laws, policies, and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement.”
She also noted that President Donald Trump (R) has directed federal agencies to identify grants, contracts, and federal funds issued to sanctuary cities, which “violate federal immigration law” and may result in further consequences.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Hoboken, Jersey City, Paterson, and Newark back in May as part of their crackdown on sanctuary cities, with the other three cities named as defendants all receiving letters from Bondi, sources familiar with the situation told HCV.
In January 2018, in his first act as the Mile Square City’s chief elected official, Bhalla signed an executive order declaring the Mile Square to be “a fair and welcoming city.”
At the time the federal lawsuit was filed, Bhalla vowed to fight the case in court, a stance he is maintaining today.
“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,” he said in response to Bondi’s letter.
“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.”
In a letter sent to Bondi today, Bhalla added that her letter to Hoboken 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.
Bhalla is also the Democratic nominee for the state Assembly in the 32nd Legislative District.
So now we’ve got Mayor Bhalla playing philosopher-king, cherry-picking which federal laws are “moral” enough to enforce while ignoring the rest. Last I checked, that’s not how the Constitution works, cities don’t get to be a buffet line where you take the federal funds but refuse the federal laws. And let’s not twist history: these so-called “draconian” immigration laws he’s railing against are the same ones President Obama enforced with gusto. In fact, Obama still holds the record for deportations, and his administration unapologetically separated families at the border while warning, on national television, that if you crossed illegally, you’d be detained and possibly separated. Did Bhalla have a peep to say about “morals and values” back then when he was a councilman? Not a word.
What’s the mayor’s grand alternative? Nothing. Just more noise, more “resist for the sake of resisting,” more politics dressed up as moral outrage. The man is allergic to solutions but addicted to slogans. His entire playbook is obstruction without production, defiance without direction. He rails about what Washington does but offers Hoboken no plan, no policy, and certainly no progress.
The hypocrisy is staggering: take federal money, refuse federal law, and then claim the moral high ground while standing on quicksand. Bhalla’s “welcoming city” has turned into a soapbox city, where political theater trumps public safety and consistency. If Obama could enforce these laws without calling them “draconian,” then Bhalla’s selective outrage isn’t about the law, it’s about whatever flavor-of-the-month resistance his party tells him to serve. Please. This isn’t leadership; it’s political theater. No solutions, no alternatives, just obstruction for obstruction’s sake. Take the money, refuse the law, claim the moral high ground. That’s not courage, that’s hypocrisy.
Whatever happened to states rights and home rule? Oh yeah, that was cover to target brown people. Now you’re guzzling federal glizzy because it’s convenient for you to continue targeting brown people.
Why so racist against Chinese, Asian, African and white illegal aliens from around the world? You don’t need to be racist calling the entire globe of these human beings, “brown.”
Stop being racist for Ravi.
Pay a legal immigrant to work!
Federal law applies and the next question is how much is this costing Hoboken?
No one is above the law.
Ravi doesn’t want to honor his oath to uphold the law. He’ll do it, but only if it puts money into his pockets. Utter criminal defending the criminals to aid and abet the criminals.
Ravi is brave to stand up to the US AG who insists that he follow US law. If Ravi wishes to fight for illegals and go to prison on behalf of his slave labor supporters, his demand is acceptable.
Here’s how to visit Ravi at Hoboken West, re: Lewisburg Federal Prison.
https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/lew/index.jsp
Ravi talking about morals is like Putin talking about peace.
No one is above the law.
Does anybody have an estimate of how many undocumented immigrants reside in Hoboken? My guess is the number is pretty small so this is all grandstanding theatrics by both Bhalla and Bondi. Sadly, the victims will be Hoboken’s taxpayers who already are on the hook for fiscal debacle Mayor Bhalla will be leaving behind. Given the large and growing structural deficit that ex BA Freeman exposed on his way out the door, Hoboken simply can’t afford this fight.
Donna, tell this to your leader Tiffany
There are questions about basements, but not very many if you don’t include the mestizoes working construction around every work site around town. It points to the damage Ravi Bhalla is willing to needlessly inflict on Hoboken to keep in line with the anti-American radical leftists of his party.
As if Ravi hasn’t done enough damage to Hoboken’s financial health.
Is Ravi quicker then I wish he was to trade favors in legal but seemingly sleazy ways? I sometimes think so.
Is Ravi at times guilty of favoring neoliberal corporate apologies in fights against true progresses? He sure was when he backed Joe Crowley over AOC.
So before you ask IMHO Ravi has not been a perfect Mayor. But let’s stay in reality. N no one ever is.
On balance I think he’s been pretty good.
I see the flaws, but I’m grateful to live in a city where the mayor stands up for our democracy , Constitution, and freedoms.
Ravi has been one of the strongest voices among NJ elected officials ¹ refusing to normalize the anti-democratic and yes facistic actions of our current leaders led by President Trump.
When American citizens and people with legal rights to be here are being detained by masked Federal officers and when people are being deported without trial legally here or not in violation of our constitution and when people are seriously defending the black male of institutions by the president and his blatant corruption it’s time to stop pretending this is normal.
It’s time to quote Pastor Martin Niemöller
‘First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me”
When Pam Bondi comes for Ravi, for refusing to participate in their desecration of our freedoms, I will certainly be there.
I hope you can join me.
This is pretty offensive to victims of the Holocaust. There is nothing wrong with enforcing borders and immigration, literally every country does it.
What?
The poem is about a man who was killed in the Holocaust you idiot
Wow, Tiffany Fisher and the AARP team are more worried about how this effects their personal taxes on the 3 million dollar homes they own than helping the people who built them, clean them or cook for them.
Maybe Weed Hater will need a new maid, The Sailor will need a
new boat washer, the school teacher will have have less students and the air bnb mansion will have less guests with less immigrants as our neighbors?