NYC used to help deport thousands. This year's total: 11
New York City’s sanctuary laws restrict local agencies from facilitating immigration enforcement, including against those jailed on Rikers Island. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration so far this year has rejected 99% of federal immigration enforcers’ inquiries about immigrants who have been arrested, jailed or are otherwise under scrutiny by New York City, according to disclosures filed by Adams’ office under a law restricting cooperation.
Of the 261 times in 2024 that the feds asked agencies like the NYPD and Correction Department for help, typically so a detained immigrant could be placed into deportation proceedings, the city agreed 11 times, or 0.4%, and otherwise refused, as of Sept. 30.
Until a series of laws passed under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio limiting the city’s cooperation only to potential terrorists or those convicted of the most violent or serious crimes, and then only with a judicial warrant, the city had been helping facilitate deportation proceedings against between an estimated 2,000 and 3,000 immigrants every year, if not more. In 2009, it was at least 3,506, according to a 2011 City Council report.
De Blasio’s office predicted in 2014 that so-called detainers — when immigration enforcers ask a law enforcement agency to tell them before releasing a noncitizen and to hold the person for up to an additional 48 hours — would decline "to virtually zero," under the legislation. The aim, his office said, is to "balance public safety with the City’s commitment to being a welcoming and safe place for immigrant families." Any cooperation whatsoever with the feds, even phone calls, is restricted.
In the aftermath, the city’s reputation as a sanctuary city has drawn the ire of President-elect Donald Trump, who along with his intended nominees have promised the largest deportation operation in American history, with an initial focus on rounding up immigrants with criminal histories.
In certain yearly quarters since the latest restrictive laws were passed starting a decade ago, the city appears to have cooperated zero times, including during all of 2020. That year, immigration enforcers asked the city for help just once: an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who called a city child welfare lawyer seeking the location of a father involved in a case, according to a disclosure document. The city declined.
City law requires these public disclosures, in the form of aggregated quarterly reports, of all requests by immigration enforcers and resulting actions taken by the city. Although the city is delinquent in disclosure for several quarters over the years, it appears that the federal government under both Trump and President Joe Biden sought assistance from the city dozens of times in recent years, before ramping up requests in the past few years. Still, almost all requests were rejected.
It’s unclear why, and what the triggering crime or crimes were. Most of the requests were about immigrants in city jails, as were nearly all of those that were granted.
Neither the city nor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would provide details.
Rebecca Engel, a spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, would give only generic information, about 2023, and she said for that year, she believes that the detainers were for violent or serious crimes, not for terrorism. She didn’t answer a list of questions seeking other details.
Marie Ferguson, a spokeswoman for ICE's city field office for Enforcement and Removal Operations, also didn't answer questions but wrote in an email: "ERO seeks cooperation with our law enforcement partners regarding noncitizens who are suspected threats to national security and/or public safety, such as transnational gang members and those with criminal convictions or pending charges."
Adams has said he’s frustrated by a series of crimes committed by a few of the foreign migrants who have come during the current wave that has brought more than 223,000 since spring 2022.
The mayor said he wants to roll back the restrictive laws passed under de Blasio. Adams has said that those suspected of serious crimes should be turned over for deportation.
"I think the previous administration made a big mistake. I think we need to correct that aspect of it," he said in July. "If you commit a serious violent act in a city after you serve your time, you should not be in the city."
But the City Council leadership is not inclined to change the law.
Asked last week whether there was any crime that a noncitizen could commit that should subject the perpetrator to deportation, the council’s speaker, Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), didn’t directly answer.
"Is there any crime? Crime is crime. People need to be prosecuted for crime," she said.
Melissa Mark-Viverito, her predecessor at the time the restrictive laws were passed, said that the status quo should be maintained, that "the legislation has protected people" and it’s worked as intended.
"The arguments that are being thrown now were the arguments that were being thrown at us back then when we were discussing this legislation," she said. "And all of that was taken into account."
Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) lamented the laws are indeed working as their advocates intended and protecting those accused of crimes.
"Sanctuary city advocates are living in another universe if they think New Yorkers want these people here," he said.
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration so far this year has rejected 99% of federal immigration enforcers’ inquiries about immigrants who have been arrested, jailed or are otherwise under scrutiny by New York City, according to disclosures filed by Adams’ office under a law restricting cooperation.
Of the 261 times in 2024 that the feds asked agencies like the NYPD and Correction Department for help, typically so a detained immigrant could be placed into deportation proceedings, the city agreed 11 times, or 0.4%, and otherwise refused, as of Sept. 30.
Until a series of laws passed under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio limiting the city’s cooperation only to potential terrorists or those convicted of the most violent or serious crimes, and then only with a judicial warrant, the city had been helping facilitate deportation proceedings against between an estimated 2,000 and 3,000 immigrants every year, if not more. In 2009, it was at least 3,506, according to a 2011 City Council report.
De Blasio’s office predicted in 2014 that so-called detainers — when immigration enforcers ask a law enforcement agency to tell them before releasing a noncitizen and to hold the person for up to an additional 48 hours — would decline "to virtually zero," under the legislation. The aim, his office said, is to "balance public safety with the City’s commitment to being a welcoming and safe place for immigrant families." Any cooperation whatsoever with the feds, even phone calls, is restricted.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- New York City refused more than 99% of requests by federal immigration enforcers for information about immigrants who were detained in city custody.
- The city's sanctuary city laws prohibit almost all cooperation with the immigration enforcers.
- Mayor Eric Adams wants to roll back restrictions, clearing the way for thousands of migrants to be turned over for deportation.
In 2014, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation that dropped cooperation with federal immigration enforcers "to virtually zero." In red is the City Council speaker at the time, Melissa Mark-Viverito.
Credit: Ed Reed
In the aftermath, the city’s reputation as a sanctuary city has drawn the ire of President-elect Donald Trump, who along with his intended nominees have promised the largest deportation operation in American history, with an initial focus on rounding up immigrants with criminal histories.
Zero city cooperation
In certain yearly quarters since the latest restrictive laws were passed starting a decade ago, the city appears to have cooperated zero times, including during all of 2020. That year, immigration enforcers asked the city for help just once: an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who called a city child welfare lawyer seeking the location of a father involved in a case, according to a disclosure document. The city declined.
City law requires these public disclosures, in the form of aggregated quarterly reports, of all requests by immigration enforcers and resulting actions taken by the city. Although the city is delinquent in disclosure for several quarters over the years, it appears that the federal government under both Trump and President Joe Biden sought assistance from the city dozens of times in recent years, before ramping up requests in the past few years. Still, almost all requests were rejected.
It’s unclear why, and what the triggering crime or crimes were. Most of the requests were about immigrants in city jails, as were nearly all of those that were granted.
Neither the city nor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would provide details.
Rebecca Engel, a spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, would give only generic information, about 2023, and she said for that year, she believes that the detainers were for violent or serious crimes, not for terrorism. She didn’t answer a list of questions seeking other details.
Marie Ferguson, a spokeswoman for ICE's city field office for Enforcement and Removal Operations, also didn't answer questions but wrote in an email: "ERO seeks cooperation with our law enforcement partners regarding noncitizens who are suspected threats to national security and/or public safety, such as transnational gang members and those with criminal convictions or pending charges."
Adams has said he’s frustrated by a series of crimes committed by a few of the foreign migrants who have come during the current wave that has brought more than 223,000 since spring 2022.
Rolling back de Blasio-era laws
The mayor said he wants to roll back the restrictive laws passed under de Blasio. Adams has said that those suspected of serious crimes should be turned over for deportation.
"I think the previous administration made a big mistake. I think we need to correct that aspect of it," he said in July. "If you commit a serious violent act in a city after you serve your time, you should not be in the city."
But the City Council leadership is not inclined to change the law.
Asked last week whether there was any crime that a noncitizen could commit that should subject the perpetrator to deportation, the council’s speaker, Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), didn’t directly answer.
"Is there any crime? Crime is crime. People need to be prosecuted for crime," she said.
Melissa Mark-Viverito, her predecessor at the time the restrictive laws were passed, said that the status quo should be maintained, that "the legislation has protected people" and it’s worked as intended.
"The arguments that are being thrown now were the arguments that were being thrown at us back then when we were discussing this legislation," she said. "And all of that was taken into account."
Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) lamented the laws are indeed working as their advocates intended and protecting those accused of crimes.
"Sanctuary city advocates are living in another universe if they think New Yorkers want these people here," he said.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
'A spark for them to escalate the fighting' A standoff between officials has stalled progress, eroded community patience and escalated the price tag for taxpayers. Newsday investigative editor Paul LaRocco and NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie report.
'A spark for them to escalate the fighting' A standoff between officials has stalled progress, eroded community patience and escalated the price tag for taxpayers. Newsday investigative editor Paul LaRocco and NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie report.
