(PatriotSpotlight.org) – New York City is expected to make shocking new policy changes as local politicians express growing discontent about levels of illegal immigration.
The long-running sanctuary city could overturn its extensive protections for undocumented migrants, with Council members Robert Holden, a Democrat, and Joe Borelli, a Republican, leading the charge. The city’s former progressive Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced major new rights for undocumented people during his term.
Holden complained that so-called “sanctuary city laws” were putting all New Yorkers in danger, as they prevented police from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He used 9/11 as a tragic example of what happens when government agencies fail to communicate effectively and said that the city does not “need to import criminals”.
The planned bill would abolish restrictions that currently bar the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and other local agencies from working with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on federal immigration issues. These planned changes come in the wake of several high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants, including the passing of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student.
Borelli complained that, like many issues in the city, its sanctuary policies were an “off the rails” social experiment. He said that despite issues with these local laws being revealed via the public hearing process the Council had decided to ramp them up. The touted legislation will likely receive stringent protests from the city’s overwhelmingly Democratic council. Eric Adams, de Blasio’s successor as city mayor, has shown some openness to reform, arguing that migrants accused of serious criminality should be handed over to ICE. However, he has failed to back these new plans thus far.
The push for major changes comes amid the city experiencing a previously unparalleled influence of illegal migrants, with photographs of hundreds of asylum seekers waiting outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building 2023 shining a light on the immense strain on the city’s resources. The debate over the city’s sanctuary status comes as debates over immigration enforcement grow across the country. Those who back progressive sanctuary policies claim that they safeguard that they protect immigrants from unjust targeting while critics say it prevents law enforcement from doing their jobs and helps criminals operate freely.
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