NYCLU on Trump’s Executive Order on Bail 

NEW YORK – In response to President Trump today signing an executive order targeting bail reform, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement from Executive Director Donna Lieberman: 

“President Trump can’t change the laws of New York with the stroke of his pen. It was New Yorkers’ right to decide years ago that your freedom shouldn’t depend on what you have in the bank.

“Bail reform in New York has worked. It has kept thousands of New Yorkers from being jailed just for being too poor to pay for their release — and the data is clear that it hasn’t compromised public safety. But we all know President Trump doesn’t let facts get in the way of his tired fear mongering or his police-and-punishment-first agenda.

“Today’s E.O. is really about furthering Trump’s fiction that New York and New York City are lawless, despite crime nearing historic lows and declining. Today’s E.O. is also about reckless domination, with its threats to withhold federal funds, and coming amid Trump’s baseless threats to deploy federal troops to city streets.

“The New York Civil Liberties Union will continue to push back on Trump’s delusional, vindictive, and reckless attacks on New York.”