Bill de Blasio Reflects on Police Defunding and Border Policies
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has come to terms with the idea that liberal demands to “defund the police” and the country’s relaxed border policies were misguided.
During an episode of Sean Hannity’s podcast, “Hangouts with Sean Hannity,” de Blasio, who has faced his share of challenges lately, acknowledged, “I don’t think it’s Bill,” commenting on his past relationships with progressive ideals.
“Looking back, the whole idea of ‘defunding the police’ didn’t mean anything,” de Blasio noted while others enjoyed their margaritas. “It made sense to ask, ‘How can we improve?’” Many police leaders echoed this, sharing that providing young people with better options benefits everyone, including the police, and ultimately enhances safety.
Hannity interjected, “It’s not like we disagree, right? This is great.”
De Blasio admitted that canceling the fund was a mistake, stating, “I get where it originated, but it was a mistake.” He also recognized that President Biden’s lax border policies had faltered in several areas.
“We’re trying to find common ground. Are you ready?” de Blasio playfully asked Hannity.
“I’m shocked,” Hannity replied.
“I understand the frustration with Biden’s actions on immigration,” de Blasio admitted, reflecting on his tenure from 2014 to 2021.
When Hannity probed why de Blasio hadn’t expressed these concerns sooner, he said, “Honestly, I didn’t anticipate it would spiral down this far. In the last year, we were able to turn things around at the border—that’s ironic.”
Hannity countered, asserting that Biden was too slow to act and that his policies led to an immigration crisis that impacted not just New York but many cities.
“Something has clearly shifted. There’s no denying that,” de Blasio remarked.
Hannity joked, “You might need another margarita; this could get tougher.”
De Blasio then conceded, “As Democrats, we’ve earned that criticism.”
Gerard Cassar, the chairman of the state Conservative Party, reacted, saying, “Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.” He lamented that de Blasio hadn’t made these admissions when he was in a position to effect change but appreciated that he now recognized his errors.
Cassar suggested de Blasio could have grasped the severity of the border situation by observing conditions near the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, which was temporarily housing immigrants.
Though de Blasio never explicitly called for defunding the police, he did support cutting $1 billion from the police budget in 2020 amid protests that followed George Floyd’s death.
At that time, the City Council adopted an $88.1 billion budget, which included a reduction of about $1 billion from the NYPD.
De Blasio defended those cuts, claiming, “I’m satisfied we achieved the right balance.” He noted, “We’re decreasing the police force size by not forming a new recruit class, cutting overtime, and shifting responsibilities to civilian agencies.”
However, by April 2021, he reversed that stance, allocating $105 million for a new NYPD precinct in southeast Queens, a significant project for Black voters, going back on a previous decision to halt it during budget cuts.
