FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2021
CONTACT:
Kate Theobald
212-818-0580
ktheobald@council.nyc.gov
New York City Council Member Keith Powers Announces New Legislation to Strengthen Sanctuary City Detainer Laws
Legislation to protect immigrant New Yorkers from unjust detainment and illegal immigration holds without a warrant
New York, NY — New York City Council Member Keith Powers will introduce legislation and hold an oversight hearing on bills that will protect immigrant New Yorkers from unlawful detainer within the criminal justice system. Building upon the protections the Council established to create New York City as a sanctuary city, Council Member Keith Powers is introducing two bills to ensure New Yorkers receive their due process and are not unjustly detained by federal immigration enforcement authorities.
“Nobody should be unlawfully detained or be denied the due process of the law,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “New York City is a sanctuary city and we must do all we can to protect our residents from being unjustly swept up by federal immigration enforcement.”
The New York City Council has led the way since 2014, by drafting laws and creating sanctuary city protections for immigrant New Yorkers. In 2017, the Council strengthened these protections and prohibited city agencies from partnering with federal immigration enforcement authorities. Today, Council Member Keith Powers is introducing two bills to strengthen sanctuary city protections and ensure no unlawful immigration detainers happen within the New York City justice system.
The first introduction is a local law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to limiting the circumstances in which a person may be detained by the police department on a civil immigration detainer. This bill would prohibit the police department from detaining an individual beyond the time when such person would be otherwise released from custody, without a judicial warrant.
The second introduction is a local law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to limiting communication between the department of correction and federal immigration authorities. This bill would prohibit the Department of Correction from communicating with federal immigration authorities regarding any person in the department’s custody unless the communication was in relation to a person for which a civil immigration detainer was being honored or the communication was unrelated to the enforcement of civil immigration laws.
On June 9, 2021, the Committee on Criminal Justice and Committee on Immigration will conduct a joint oversight hearing on NYC detainer laws, including the pre-introduced aforementioned bills.
##