By Bill Parry
The push back against President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration from New York’s Democratic leadership was immediate and combative Wednesday.
The two presidential actions, one to commence construction along the border with Mexico and the other pledging a crackdown on illegal and legal immigration, were greeted with outage in a city where half of the work force is made up of immigrants. The orders called for the hiring of 5,000 new Border Patrol officers and 10,000 immigration officers and threatened to slash federal funding to “sanctuary cities,” jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities during deportation proceedings and immigration checks.
“Here in New York City, and in cities across the nation, this executive order could in fact undermine the relationship between our police departments and our communities, which has been the foundation of our ability to drive down crime,” de Blasio said. “Second, because the potential funding cuts suggested in the executive order would first and foremost fall on the NYPD, thus taking away resources that we use every day to protect the people of this city against crime and against terrorism.”
When de Blasio signed two bills into law that dramatically reduced New York City’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on detentions, and deportations of undocumented immigrants in November 2014, he held the signing ceremony on the steps of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, which serves the largest immigrant community in the city. City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (D-East Elmhurst), who represents that district, stood by the mayor’s side that day, and joined him Wednesday in condemning Trump’s executive order.
“Keeping immigrant families together is our top priority in New York City,” she said. “We will not allow the Trump administration to create a racist witch hunt that will destroy communities and uproot families. We will not cooperate with ICE and its deportation efforts that disrupt our security. And we will not be intimidated by threats to strip our federal funding. The New York City Council and I will defend every New Yorker and their right to remain in their home and thrive.”
If the Trump administration does cut federal funding to sanctuary cities, New York City could lose nearly $7 billion, according to Comptroller Scott Stringer.
“Either the White House doesn’t understand the significance of its threat to defund sanctuary cities, or it does and is willfully turning its back on America’s legacy as the land of freedom and opportunity for all,” Stringer said. “Instead of building walls, it should be tearing down barriers. Instead of ripping families apart, we should be supporting them. We should be encouraging more immigration, not less. These executive actions and threats to defund our sanctuary cities simply take America backwards.”
On Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), the newly installed House Democratic Caucus Chairman, vowed that House Democrats will continue to stand up against xenophobia and continue to fight for common-sense immigration reform.
“These executive orders are an inhumane attack on immigrant families and communities. If the president was actually serious about tackling our nation’s broken immigration system, he would join Democrats in supporting comprehensive reform that strengthens border security in an intelligent way,” Crowley said. “Instead, he’s chosen to deny the fact that our border is more secure than ever in order to push forward a border wall that will cost American taxpayers billions of dollars and to punish cities that not only welcome immigrants openly, but that encourage productive relationships between law enforcement and the immigrant communities they serve.”
State Attorney Gen. Eric Schneiderman issued legal guidance for sanctuary jurisdictions, providing local governments and law enforcement agencies with legal tools to protect their immigrant communities in anticipation of Trump’s executive orders.
“The president lacks the constitutional authority to cut off funding to states and cities simply because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families — as described in the legal guidance my office issued last week,” Schneiderman said. “Local governments seeking to protect their immigrant communities from federal overreach have every right to do so. Building and maintaining trust between local law enforcement and the communities they bravely serve is vital to ensuring public safety. Any attempt to bully local governments into abandoning policies that have proven to keep our cities safe is not only unconstitutional, but threatens the safety of our citizens. I urge President Trump to revoke this Executive Order right away. If he does not, I will do everything in my power to fight it.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
