In letter to NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch, U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman rips U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers’ “outrageous and unlawful conduct” in cities around the country, saying they have been “violently and improperly” arresting U.S. citizens.
Goldman said with the “likely possibility” that the Department of Homeland Security will “send armies of agents into New York City for civil immigration purposes” he urged the NYPD to be “prepared to strictly enforce state and local laws in order to hold federal agents accountable for any unlawful actions they engage in, including potentially through arrest and prosecution for felony violations.”
“When immigration officials make warrantless arrests of U.S. citizens or lawful residents without reasonable suspicion to believe they have violated immigration law, they are acting outside the scope of their legal authority,” he wrote.
Goldman, a lawyer who as a House counsel participated in Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment inquiry, cited ICE’s policy barring civil immigration enforcement authority against U.S. citizens. He said news outlets have reported that federal agents “have repeatedly detained or deported American citizens in clear violation of their constitutional rights.”
“No person, regardless of their badge, should be permitted to assault or unlawfully detain any New Yorker without facing consequences,” he wrote. “In light of this failure of federal oversight, it is the responsibility of the city to uphold the rule of law and protect the public.”
There was no immediate response from the NYPD or ICE’s press office to the congressman’s letter.
if they are illegal then they arent citizens