New York Immigration Coalition Denounces DOJ’s Threat to Sanctuary Cities

April 21st, 2017

The Justice Department sent letters to eight cities Friday that threaten to withhold federal grant money if they don’t demonstrate cooperation with immigration enforcement.

In response, Steve Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition released the following statement:

“Threatening to strip cities of critical federal funding is senseless and hypocritical. When people are afraid to report crimes or engage with law enforcement because of immigration status, the safety of our communities is placed at risk. The Department of Justice claims to care about the well-being of American people, but the very same dollars they have threatened to withhold provide funding for our systems of security. We will continue to resist these actions at every turn. This is not who we are, and this not our New York.”

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The New York Immigration Coalition is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for nearly 200 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees. The NYIC aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all by promoting immigrants’ full civic participation, fostering their leadership, and providing a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York’s diverse immigrant communities.