(The Center Square) — A Democratic New York congressman is calling on the NYPD to arrest and prosecute ICE agents who engage in “unlawful actions” during federal immigration crackdowns in the city.
In letter to NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch, U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman rips U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers’ “outrageous and unlawful conduct” in cities around the country, saying they have been “violently and improperly” arresting U.S. citizens.
Goldman said with the “likely possibility” that the Department of Homeland Security will “send armies of agents into New York City for civil immigration purposes” he urged the NYPD to be “prepared to strictly enforce state and local laws in order to hold federal agents accountable for any unlawful actions they engage in, including potentially through arrest and prosecution for felony violations.”
“When immigration officials make warrantless arrests of U.S. citizens or lawful residents without reasonable suspicion to believe they have violated immigration law, they are acting outside the scope of their legal authority,” he wrote.
Goldman, a lawyer who as a House counsel participated in Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment inquiry, cited ICE’s policy barring civil immigration enforcement authority against U.S. citizens. He said news outlets have reported that federal agents “have repeatedly detained or deported American citizens in clear violation of their constitutional rights.”
“No person, regardless of their badge, should be permitted to assault or unlawfully detain any New Yorker without facing consequences,” he wrote. “In light of this failure of federal oversight, it is the responsibility of the city to uphold the rule of law and protect the public.”
There was no immediate response from the NYPD or ICE’s press office to the congressman’s letter.
New York City has been a flashpoint in the national immigration debate with more than 230,000 migrants arriving in the city between 2022 and 2024 following a surge of immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border under the previous Biden administration. ICE operations in the city have arrested nearly 29,000 undocumented immigrants, many with criminal histories, according to the agency’s website.
In July, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against New York City over its “sanctuary” policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration crackdowns, accusing the city of shielding wanted criminals from deportation.
But federal immigration officials have faced criticism for aggressive immigration enforcement tactics — including violent arrests, and the use of tear gas to disperse crowds — as they detain and arrest migrants living in the United States who don’t have legal status to stay in the country.
Amid the crackdown, ICE has reported a dramatic increase in threats and acts of violence against its agents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last week that Mexican drug cartels have offered bounties from $2,000 to $50,000 for doxxing, kidnapping or killing ICE agents. Over the weekend, a New York man was arrested for threatening to firebomb ICE agents during a “No Kings” protest.
“Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress,” Noem said last week in a statement. “We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice.”
