At Monday night’s City Hall meeting, Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams called for changes to the city’s “sanctuary” policy that allows local law enforcement to turn over some illegal immigrants to federal agents. Ta. Daily Caller News Foundation report.
Adams has previously expressed support for the city’s sanctuary status. But New York City’s strained shelter system and rising crime may force the mayor to reconsider the policy.
Video of the town hall meeting posted on social media by independent photographer Leroy Johnson captured Adams’ remarks, in which he appeared to backtrack on his position on the city’s sanctuary status policy. .
“The overwhelming number of immigrants and asylum seekers here want to work. I still don’t understand why the federal government won’t allow them to work. Like all of us… They need the right to work too.’The people who came to this country had the ability to do that,” Adams said.
“But for the small number of people who commit crimes, we need to amend the Sanctuary City Act so that if they commit a felony or an act of violence, they can be turned over to the police.” [United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement] And you were deported?” Adams added.
The mayor’s comments caused the audience to erupt in applause.
In another video, Adams explained that current laws are unable to curb the city’s illegal immigration crisis.
“People say this to me all the time. When they see me on the street, they say, ‘Eric, why don’t you stop the buses from coming?’ ‘Why don’t you let people who want to work work?’ It’s against the law – it’s federal law – you can’t do it. [comes] in? ‘Because that’s the law. “Why don’t we deport someone who commits a crime and harms people who aren’t doing the right thing? We can’t because that’s against the law,” Adams said.
Adams argued that New York City is handling the influx of immigrants better than other cities across the country, despite “inheriting a national crisis.”
“You don’t see tent cities in New York. You don’t see children and families sleeping on the streets in New York. Our team here has come through every crisis.”
At the City Hall meeting, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell noted that the city’s law enforcement authorities have seized 50,000 illegal scooters, bicycles, and cars from the streets. Chell said residents have repeatedly expressed concerns that illegally stolen vehicles are being used by migrants to commit crimes.
Earlier this month, minority Republicans in the New York State Assembly proposed a bill that would effectively overturn the city’s sanctuary policy. blaze news Previously reported. If passed, this bill would allow local law enforcement agencies to work with ICE.
Kenneth Gennaro, head of ICE’s New York field office, accused the city’s sanctuary policy of hindering the agency’s ability to remove illegal immigrants.
“We want to help. The problem is that city policy and state law prevent cooperation between the NYPD and ICE,” Henaro said. new york post.
“Once they return to the community, we have to go looking for them,” he added. “Instead of detaining these people within the confines of prisons and precincts, we now have to take them out into the communities and streets where, unfortunately, criminals have the upper hand.”
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