THE HELL WE WILL
NYPD TOP COP O’NEILL TO TRUMP: Commish bars Finest from aiding President’s undocumented immigrant roundup
THE CITY’S top cop had a defiant message Wednesday for President Trump and his crusaders bent on arresting undocumented immigrants: We’re not doing your dirty work.
The NYPD will not enforce warrants issued by federal immigration officials, Police Commissioner James O’Neill wrote in an internal memo.
“It is critical that everyone who comes into contact with the NYPD, regardless of their immigration status, be able to identify themselves or seek assistance without hesitation, anxiety or fear,” he said in the sharply worded directive.
“The NYPD does not conduct civil immigration enforcement. Specifically, this department does not enforce administrative warrants issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or federal immigration judges solely in connection with civil immigration violations.
“For example, the NYPD does not arrest or detain individuals for immigration violations such as overstaying a lawfully issued visa. However, the NYPD does and will continue to honor federal immigration detainers when there is a risk to public safety.”
Although the memo was directed to “the men and women of the New York City Police Department,” its message was in stark contrast to the directives issued by Trump’s Homeland Security Department.
On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly called for any undocumented immigrants to be deported if they have been convicted or even charged with a criminal offense, “have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits,” or “have engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter before a governmental agency.”
That means undocumented immigrants who have committed even minor traffic infractions, received any government assistance or used fake Social Security numbers to be able to work — common offenses among the immigrants — could be shipped out of the country.
City officials have already been at odds with the feds over the Trump administration’s plan to slash federal funding for “sanctuary cities” like New York.
O’Neill also reminded officers that the department “accepts the city’s IDNYC as a valid and recognized form of government-issued identification, including for the issuance of summonses and desk appearance tickets.”
The government has estimated approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S., a number backed by nongovernmental organizations like the Pew Research Center.