New York City council members seek suspension of sanctuary law

(The Center Square) — A bipartisan group of New York City councilors is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to temporarily suspend 'sanctuary' policies amid concerns about terrorism and crime from newly arriving asylum seekers.

In a letter to Hochul, the nine-member Common Sense Caucus urged the Democrat to issue an emergency order that would allow New York City to temporarily waive its sanctuary city laws.

"This would enable federal agencies, including ICE, to work more effectively with local law enforcement to address these grave threats," they wrote. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, your office and that of your predecessor utilized executive orders to respond swiftly to the crisis. We believe that the current situation, with its potential for terror-related activities and the escalating violence in the city, warrants a similar response."

The councilors, led by caucus co-chairs Robert Holden and Joe Borelli, said the recent arrests of Tajikistani nationals affiliated with ISIS-K, coupled with the findings of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General recent report, which revealed "significant flaws" in the immigration vetting processes, "underscore the severity of the threat."

"As you know, New York City is a prime target for terrorism, and we cannot afford to be complacent in the face of such threats," the councilors wrote. "The inability of ICE to cooperate fully with local law enforcement due to existing sanctuary city laws severely hampers our efforts to ensure the safety of our residents."

They said a recent surge in violent crime, "including incidents involving migrant gangs in Central Park and Queens parks — where they have been reported to be raping, robbing, assaulting, and even shooting at police officers — demands immediate and decisive action."

New York City has seen an influx of more than 160,000 asylum seekers over the past two years amid a historic surge of immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of them have been bused into New York by Texas and other border states as a protest over the Biden administration's immigration policies.

The city spent $1.45 billion in fiscal year 2023 on migrant costs and expects to spend $10 billion on migrants over the next two fiscal years, according to the Adams administration.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said the city's sanctuary status should be changed to allow migrants charged with crimes to be turned over to federal immigration officials for deportation to help weed out the "small numbers" of migrants who commit major crimes.

The NYPD has cited shootings, shoplifting rings and violent assaults on NYPD officers as examples of alleged crimes being committed by migrants, which has sparked public criticism that the influx of new arrivals is bringing criminals with them.

In their letter, the councilors noted that New York City has long been a sanctuary city, a "designation initially intended to protect vulnerable populations," but said the policy merits "a reevaluation of these policies in light of the new and unprecedented challenges we face."

"The safety and security of New Yorkers must be our highest priority," they wrote. "We must take the necessary steps to protect our city and state from those who seek to do us harm."