The US Department of Justice moved Friday to challenge Massachusetts' newly signed law restricting state and local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi's office said the measure obstructed federal immigration enforcement, setting up a confrontation between Washington and the Democratic-led state.

Governor Maura Healey signed the legislation this week, describing it as the strongest state protection yet against what she called overreach by federal immigration agents. The law bars state and local officials from honoring most ICE detainer requests without a judicial warrant and limits information sharing.

The Justice Department argued the statute conflicts with federal immigration authority and cited the Supremacy Clause. Officials in Healey's administration said the state acted within its constitutional powers to direct its own police and correctional resources and vowed to defend the law in court.

Republican lawmakers in Massachusetts and members of the state's congressional delegation split sharply over the measure. State House Minority Leader Bradley Jones criticized the law as a public safety risk, while Democratic sponsors said it protected due process for residents.

The dispute echoes earlier clashes over sanctuary policies in California and Illinois, several of which reached federal appeals courts. Legal analysts at the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts said they expected a prolonged fight over the balance between state authority and federal immigration power.