NEW YORK, NY –
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) on April 4 blasted New York City for refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to apprehend and deport illegal immigrants committing crimes in New York City, including most recently in ICE’s arrest of three migrant squatters released without bail instead of being turned over to ICE.
“Despite our calls for the City Council and Mayor to restore cooperation with federal immigration officials, rogue prosecutors and far-left judges continue to release criminals residing in our country illegally back onto the street to the detriment of our community and citizens. I applaud ICE for arresting three of the eight migrant squatters – most of whom have been previously apprehended for other crimes including shoplifting, assault and murder – but it’s important to highlight how difficult their jobs have become because the Biden Administration directs Customs and Border Protection to release these individuals into our interior, Governor Hochul’s bail law allows them to commit crimes with no consequence, and New York City prohibits the NYPD from turning these criminals over to ICE, even when there is a detainer request. Instead of working with federal officials to arrest, detain and immediately deport thugs wreaking havoc in our city, progressive politicians have tied the hands of our NYPD to the benefit of criminals, and are allowing them to remain here in luxury hotel rooms with five-star service on the taxpayers’ dime. In a post-9/11 world, we cannot afford to take any chances. Democrats’ pro-criminal, open-border and sanctuary policies at the city, state and federal level have proven to have deadly consequences, and this is just one of many examples where they’ve come to a head to deteriorate quality of life and public safety for American citizens.”
Last year, ICE issued 109 detainer requests to the NYPD, none of which were honored due to local laws passed under the de Blasio Administration dramatically limiting New York City’s cooperation with federal immigrations officials. City officials have claimed to be cooperative with ICE detainer requests, however, the city will not accept anything other than a judicial warrant, whereas ICE uses administrative warrants for this process.
In February, following the attack of two NYPD Officers in Times Square, Malliotakis joined a bipartisan group of local elected officials and the New York City Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in calling on the City Council to repeal these laws. Malliotakis is also an original cosponsor of H.R. 2494, The POLICE Act of 2023, legislation that makes assaulting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder a deportable offense.
