New York police won't arrest
immigrants without a warrant
New
York has introduced legislation to prevent the
prosecution of undocumented immigrants without a
warrant, limiting the city's cooperation with
immigration authorities.
The
New York City Council presented new legislation on
Tuesday that will likely alter the city's
immigration detention laws in favor of undocumented
workers. Under the proposed legislation, police will
only be allowed to arrest undocumented immigrants if
they have an arrest warrant from a federal judge, if
the immigrant has been arrested for a major crime in
the last five years or if they are suspected of
terrorism. The legislation is supported by New York
Democrat Mayor, Bill de Blasio.
"These bills will greatly reduce the unnecessary
deportation of New York City residents and make the
process of those subjected to ICE detainers more
dignified and safe," City Council Speaker, Melissa
Mark-Viverito, said according to the Staten Island
website SiLive.
Currently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
oversees immigrant detainment and deportation.
Police departments across the country are requested
to detain undocumented immigrants on behalf of U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and then
turn them over to federal authorities so they can be
deported. Immigrants who are arrested in New York
can be held at Rikers Island prison for up to 48
hours while their immigration status is determined
by ICE or other agencies. The arrested immigrants
often have no criminal record and have been paying
taxes for many years.
Under the new legislation, Rikers Island will be
closed and its personnel will be moved to other
facilities. In July, The New York Times published a
story on the abuses and mistreatment suffered
by prisoners at Rikers Island.
Republican lawmakers have spoken out against the
legislation, calling it a ridiculous measure.
During 2014, New York introduced new measures to
deal with the immigration issue in the city, helping
immigrants to receive legal advice and integrating
immigrant children into the health and education
system.
Since President Barack Obama's administration has
failed to approve reforms to ease the situation of
the 11 million immigrants living in the United
States, some states and cities are adopting measures
to help them. If the City Council legislation is
approved, New York City will follow on the heels of
similar cities such as Chicago, Newark, Los Angeles,
Philadelphia and San Diego, where local police
departments are also not honoring most detainer
requests.
(Taken from TeleSur)
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