 In 1996 Giuliani sued the federal government over a new federal law (Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996) that overturned the 1985 executive order by then mayor Ed Koch that barred government employees from turning in illegal immigrants who were trying to get government benefits from the city.He ordered city attorneys to defend this policy in federal court.His lawsuit claimed that the new federal requirement to report illegal immigrants violated the Tenth Amendment.