New York, NY—Today, the NYC Department of Investigation (DOI) released a report stating that the NYC Department of Correction (DOC) – which is part of the Mayoral administration – has violated New York City’s sanctuary law. The 68-page investigation alleges that an NYCDOC investigator assigned to a joint task force with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) provided information on multiple individuals to ICE, which is barred by local sanctuary laws. The DOI report also concluded that DOC failed “to provide proper guidance and training” on complying with sanctuary policies. This is not the first time the DOC has violated NYC’s sanctuary policies.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“New York City’s longstanding sanctuary policies and laws are public safety measures that ensure that any New Yorker, regardless of immigration status, can interact with our public institutions and report emergencies to authorities. It is inexcusable that the Mayoral administration’s Department of Corrections has violated the trust created by these policies and broken our laws. This situation is not simply a result of one ‘bad apple’ not knowing the law, but part of a longstanding systemic issue in a department with a legacy of policy violations. The administration must commit to enforcing our sanctuary policies. And in order to guarantee our sanctuary policies are enforced, the New York City Council and Mayor must enact the NYC Trust Act in order to hold any bad actors accountable.”