Paul Dreyer New York’s Next Mayor Should Help Deport Criminal Aliens Undoing the city’s expansive sanctuary regime would be popular and help cut crime.
https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-city-mayor-crime-immigration-deport-sanctuary
New York City voters consistently rank crime among their top concerns, with migrant-related offenses drawing particular ire. Yet a progressive city council and entrenched bureaucratic resistance continue to block cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The next mayor should break this impasse by facilitating the deportation of unlawful immigrants convicted of crimes.
To do so, the mayor would have to roll back the Bill de Blasio-era bans on ICE cooperation. Local Law 58 prohibits federal immigration authorities from keeping an office on Rikers Island, the city jail. Local Law 228 prevents city agencies from honoring federal immigration detainers without a judicial warrant for certain serious crimes. Intro 486 and Intro 487 restrict the Department of Correction and the New York Police Department, respectively, in cooperating with a federal detainer. The agencies may honor a detainer request only for an alien convicted of certain serious or violent crimes who is eligible for release from custody, and in response to a judicial warrant.
These laws have the effect of codifying the city’s sanctuary status. The next mayor should push for their repeal or modification.
For de Blasio, such virtue-signaling may have been good politics. But these laws are unsuited for the circumstances of the city’s ongoing migrant crisis. In December, an intoxicated migrant immolated Debrina Kawam on the subway. This February, two convicted Tren de Aragua gang members from Venezuela were released bail-free, despite pending felony gun and drug charges.
The next mayor need not pursue the wholesale deportation of all illegal aliens in the city. Instead, city policy should clearly distinguish between those who have been charged with crimes and those who haven’t. Notifying ICE when a migrant is charged with a criminal offense allows federal authorities to prioritize the removal of those who may pose a greater threat to public safety. Such a policy would signal that New York remains a city of refuge for peaceable residents, while refusing to tolerate unlawful behavior by those in the country illegally.
This policy would be popular. A recent Siena poll found that 79 percent of New Yorkers support deporting illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, and a plurality of 48 percent favor (while 31 percent oppose) New York State backing the Trump administration’s federal immigration enforcement efforts.
While engaging in the legislative push for cooperation, the next mayor can take alternative measures to restore an ICE office on Rikers Island. Last month, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro issued an executive order authorizing federal agents to reopen offices at Rikers to conduct criminal enforcement and criminal investigations—effectively reversing 2014’s Local Law 58 ban. The city council promptly sued. A state trial court has temporarily enjoined the order, and Mayor Eric Adams has hired outside counsel to defend it.
The next mayor should also collaborate with Nassau County on Long Island, where police are actively participating in immigration enforcement. Nassau, which borders Queens, shares many of the same immigration issues as the city, including human trafficking, prostitution, and theft. Just a few months ago, an illegal migrant living in Queens was charged with running a prostitution ring in Nassau. A South American gang responsible for a $1 million jewelry heist in Nassau was also operating out of Queens. Such cases are myriad and are straining communities and resources in the suburbs.
Nassau County has fully embraced the Immigration and Naturalization Act’s 287(g) program. This allows ICE to enter into agreements with localities that deputize local law enforcement officers to identify illegal aliens in custody and perform other immigration functions. Under County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Nassau has facilitated immigration enforcement both in jails and in police day-to-day activities.
Because a formal agreement with the Trump administration’s ICE may be politically unpalatable in New York City, the next mayor should consider partnering with Nassau County officials and directing city agencies to work closely with county law enforcement. A joint task force between the NYPD and Nassau County police could allow city officers to transfer criminal aliens to Nassau, where removal proceedings can more readily take place.
Gotham’s next mayor should embrace the levers and tools available to keep residents safe from dangerous aliens and gangs. New Yorkers are ready for leadership that puts their safety first.
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