NYCLU Responds to DOI Report on NYPD’s Compliance with City Sanctuary Laws

NEW YORK CITY – Today, New York City’s Department of Investigation (DOI) released a report that found that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) violated the city’s sanctuary laws in at least one instance, amongst other issues. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) issued the following statement, attributable to Senior Policy Counsel Zach Ahmad:

“Today’s report confirms what we already know: the NYPD cannot be trusted to comply with our city’s decades-old sanctuary laws.

“The NYPD is not complying with legally mandated documentation, upholding reporting requirements, or properly training officers on how to handle interactions with immigration authorities. As Trump increasingly deploys agencies other than ICE to ramp up arrests, officers must understand and be able to execute the department’s long-standing, controlling policies that prohibit them from participating in civil immigration enforcement.

“While we welcome the efforts to address the glaring issues found in this report, we know the NYPD can’t police itself. The City Council must pass the NYC Trust Act to ensure actual accountability for violations of our sanctuary laws.”

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