Sanctuary City advocates called for New York’s judicial system to ban ICE officers from arresting illegal immigrants in state courtrooms at a Thursday rally in New York City.
Democratic city councilmen and lawyers at the rally complained illegal immigrants were “sitting ducks” for ICE officers when they are called in to court rooms for other crimes, and called on the courts to notify illegal immigrants defendants if ICE officers will be present, the Gothamist reported.
“We are inclined to think that OCA [Office of Court Administration] has the authority to bar this kind of law-enforcement activity in the courthouse entirely,” Councilman Rory Lancman told Newsday. “The noncooperation with federal authorities is a well-established precedent in this country.”
Other advocates noted the spike in ICE courtroom arrests since President Donald Trump took office due to an executive order this spring mandating the deportation of any illegal immigrant convicted of a crime, making court rooms fertile ground for ICE officers.
ICE responded to the protests in a statement claiming it had “alerted Judges that they may indicate to the parties before or during the court appearance that the defendant will be subject to detention by ICE at the conclusion of the proceeding,” Newsday reported.
Illegal immigration advocates have been focused on courtroom arrests for more than a year, passing a bill in 2016 that prevented illegal immigrants from being criminally for low-level crimes, thereby preventing their deportation. (RELATED: NYC Creates Loophole To Avoid Deporting Illegal Immigrants)
The law allows police to classify trial summonses for petty crimes as civil summonses, rather than criminal. The change would affect crimes including public urination, public drinking, and staying in the park after dark. Illegal immigrants convicted of these crimes could receive a civil rather than criminal summons, which frees local law enforcement from the obligation of reporting the offender’s immigration status to ICE.
Lancman said the city council will meet next week to “push the envelope as far as we can” against ICE.
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