NYCLU: House Hearing on Sanctuary Cities is about Intimidation

NEW YORK, NY – Yesterday, the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent letters to the mayors of New York City, Boston, Denver, and Chicago requesting they appear before them on February 11, and to produce documents and communications related to their city’s respective sanctuary policies. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, attributable to Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

“The House Committee’s requests are a thinly disguised effort to harass and intimidate cities that are lawfully protecting immigrants. The Constitution grants states the right to use local resources as they see fit without interference from the federal government. Congress cannot disregard the 10th Amendment in its zeal to pursue a hateful, anti-immigrant agenda.

“New York’s decades-old sanctuary laws are there for good reason: they’ve improved public safety, integrated immigrants into our communities, bolstered our economy, made it easier for people to access critical resources, and more. New York is a city of immigrants, who enrich our communities, culture, and economy — they should be protected by the Mayor.

“Mayor Adams must unambiguously defend our communities. Immigrant New Yorkers deserve a mayor who will stand up to Trump’s cruel deportation agenda.”

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