Aiexpress – New York City Mayor Eric Adams has voiced his support for stronger collaboration between local police and federal immigration authorities. He criticized the existing city policies that restrict communication between these entities, deeming them harmful to public safety.
The mayor’s criticism of New York’s sanctuary laws was his strongest yet. These laws, implemented over the past decade, aimed to safeguard the city’s immigrant community by placing restrictions on how local agencies can support federal detention and deportation initiatives.
Adams, a Democrat, expressed his strong disagreement with these laws, stating that the city’s police department should have the freedom to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in cases involving serious crimes like robbery or gang activity.
Adams emphasized the importance of maintaining communication with ICE and respecting their decision to deport individuals when necessary.
“The inability to share information with ICE about a person’s involvement in three robberies or their affiliation with an organized gang crew is concerning to me,” he expressed.
New York’s sanctuary policies have faced strong criticism from conservatives in the past few weeks due to several notable incidents involving migrants. These incidents include a clash with law enforcement officers and a shooting incident in Times Square.
In the 1980s, the city initially restricted collaboration with federal immigration enforcement agents, aiming to prioritize public safety and reassure the significant foreign-born population that they need not fear engaging with local police.
At the time, Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a strong supporter of those policies, believed that it was crucial to alleviate the fear of immigrants towards the police in order to effectively combat crime.
Cooperation has been expanded under subsequent administrations, surpassing the previous limits.
Adams expressed his concerns about the significant changes in the policy without providing specific details about the aspects he would revoke. However, his spokesperson, Charles Lutvak, clarified that the mayor was particularly against two laws that were enacted during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure in 2014 and 2017.
The city is now restricted from complying with requests made by immigration authorities to detain individuals suspected of committing crimes, unless they have been convicted of specific violent offenses and a judge has issued a warrant for their removal. Furthermore, the use of city resources to aid in immigration enforcement is now prohibited.
Supporters of these laws argue that they guarantee immigrants are given fair treatment and protection, preventing them from being unjustly detained or deported based solely on the suspicion of criminal activity.
The City Council has the authority to approve any changes to the laws, and Adams cannot make adjustments without their consent. The progressive leaders within the Council have clearly stated that they have no intentions of reconsidering the existing protections.
According to Zachary Ahmad, an attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union, Adams’ support for rolling back laws that target migrants has given legitimacy to the unfounded notion that migrants are responsible for an increase in crime.
