Mayor de Blasio signs immigration bills at Our Lady of Sorrows in Corona.
Photo Courtesy of Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office.
Mayor Bill de Blasio travelled to Astoria on Friday and before a large crowd, signed Introductions 486A and 487A, bills that will dramatically reduce the measures of cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement practices.
Introduction 486A mandates that the NYC Department of Correction will no longer honor requests by ICE to detain an individual for up to 48 hours beyond a scheduled release unless 1) ICE provides a judicial warrant as to probable cause and 2) the individual in question has been convicted of a violent or serious felony within the last five years or is a possible match on the terrorist watch list. Introduction 487A requires the same of the New York Police Department.
The new law also limits what information the city shares with ICE about immigrants in DOC custody, and prohibits ICE from maintaining an office or other operations at Riker’s Island (and all City facilities) for the purpose of pursuing civil immigration enforcement. Additionally, the Department of Probation will be revising its overall policy and protocols in response to non-mandatory requests from ICE, to be consistent with the law.
The legislation signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio consolidates the City’s leadership on this issue at the national level. It’s estimated that with the judicial warrant requirement, the new policy could bring the percentage of detainers to virtually zero and would prevent from 2,000 to 3,000 New Yorkers per year from being held in City custody for the purpose of helping federal immigration officials place them in detention and deportation proceedings.
“Limiting ICE’s access to detainees at Riker’s Island is a very important step in the right direction toward protecting our immigrant communities…Deportations tear families apart, destabilize our communities, and only further underscore the need for federal action on immigration reform,” said Congressman Joe Crowley. “New York City has always been a beacon of hope and opportunity for people around the world and I applaud the City for taking steps to ensure it remains welcoming to immigrants.”
“This is both fair and smart policy for an international city like New York,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.
The Corona church where the bill signing took place offers counseling and English language services for families in the mostly Hispanic congregation.
By Patricia L. Adams
