In recent days, several media outlets have revealed that New York City Mayor Adam Adams’ office sent a memorandum to various city government agencies on January 13th regarding an adjustment to respond to federal immigration enforcement policies. According to the memorandum, all New York City government agencies, including public schools and shelter systems, can allow federal law enforcement officers to enter city facilities to search for undocumented immigrants without providing a court-issued arrest warrant when city officials “reasonably feel threatened”.
New York City has long upheld a “sanctuary city” policy where city government employees are not allowed to permit entry to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other federal law enforcement officers into city-owned facilities such as shelters, schools, prisons, and hospitals unless these agents have a arrest warrant signed by a federal judge for a specific individual.
However, the newly issued memorandum indicates that if city employees believe that federal agents pose a threat to their own or others’ safety, they can no longer insist on presenting an arrest warrant.
The memorandum states, “If at any time, you reasonably feel threatened, or are concerned about your own or others’ safety, you should provide law enforcement officers with the information they are requesting, or allow them access to the facility.” The memorandum has been sent to all city government agencies.
Furthermore, the memorandum emphasizes that city employees should not attempt to “conceal or shield” any undocumented immigrants being sought by federal law enforcement agencies and warns that such actions could constitute a “federal crime”.
Mayor Adams’ spokesperson, Liz Garcia, stated on Thursday evening that the core objective of this new policy is to ensure the safety of city government employees.
“Our responsibility is to safeguard the well-being of city government employees, so we are instructing staff not to put themselves in danger during federal immigration enforcement,” she added. “Employees should seek legal advice in such situations and avoid conflicts with federal agents to safeguard their own safety and the normal operation of city government.”
Nevertheless, this policy change has sparked strong backlash from immigrant rights groups. Immigration legal organizations and community advocates are concerned that this may make undocumented immigrants more fearful when seeking refuge or using public services, ultimately impacting their access to necessary assistance.
A spokesperson for the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) stated that this decision goes against New York City’s consistent sanctuary city policy and fears that it will undermine the city’s commitments, plunging immigrant communities into greater fear and uncertainty.