NEW YORK CITY (TND) — A bipartisan group of New York City lawmakers are pushing for the city to renounce its sanctuary status as it continues to accommodate for an influx of migrants.
A sanctuary city is any place which openly defies its responsibility to cooperate with the federal government in enforcing immigration laws. Migrants arriving in these cities are entitled to housing and support from the city and will not be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
New York City Councilmember Inna Vernikov, R-District 48, wrote via X that it has come time for the city to repeal its own status as the migrant crisis continues to overwhelm its resources.
Today I stood with my colleagues in the @NYCCCommonSense to support Intro. 945, which I’m proud to co-sponsor with a bipartisan group of my fellow members, so we can finally take the handcuffs off of our cops, allow them to collaborate with ICE and the federal government, and END SANCTUARY CITY STATUS,” she wrote Thursday. “The need to curtail illegal immigration and secure our border has never been greater than it is today. Crime and chaos are on the rise, and OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS ARE FUNDING THIS INSANITY!”
Also supporting the idea is Councilmember Robert Holden, D-District 30.
Today, I stood on the steps of City Hall with my @NYCCCommonSense colleagues and ICE Director of the NYC Office Kenneth Genalo to call on the city to end its sanctuary city status,” he said. “We introduced legislation to repeal the laws. New Yorkers want this to happen, so let’s do it!”
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The effort comes from the city council’s “Common Sense Caucus,” which prioritizes “pursuing rational approaches to governing, taking fiscal responsibility into consideration and striving to improve quality of life for all residents.”
The legislation follows the shooting of two New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers in Queens last week, which authorities say was carried out by an illegal migrant. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., slammed fellow New York congresswoman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Tuesday for failing to speak out despite the incident occurring in her district.
“It’s been over 24 hours and @RepAOC hasn’t said anything about the preventable & senseless shooting of two NYPD officers in her district,” Rep. Malliotakis wrote on X. “How long until these Democrats start putting the safety of American citizens before those coming to our country illegally?”
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