NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill sent a memo out to the department on Wednesday, February 22, to inform the city’s officers that they are not to operate in accordance with President Trump’s latest deportation order.
“It is critical that everyone who comes into contact with the NYPD, regardless of their immigration status, be able to identify themselves or seek assistance without hesitation, anxiety or fear,” O’Neil wrote, in a message that ventures away from many of the red states greatly responsible for putting Trump in office.
“The NYPD does not conduct civil immigration enforcement. Specifically, this department does not enforce administrative warrants issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or federal immigration judges solely in connection with civil immigration violations,” he continued, declaring that for example, the department will not detain individuals who’ve overstayed lawful visas.
O’Neill’s response is consistent with other classified “sanctuary cities” which Trump has vowed to punish by revoking federal funds should they harbor immigrants in the face of his strict deportation policies.
On Tuesday, the administration announced that it will be directing states to step up their action by rounding up immigrants convicted and in many cases simply charged with a crime. Those crimes can range from violent offenses to falsifying documentation. O’Neill was specific in listing the necessity to honor the city’s IDNYC program, which gives out identification cards to undocumented citizens who are not able to obtain an official form of ID.
