Statement from Legal Services NYC on Mayor Eric Adams’ Updated ICE Policy

After Mayor Adams’ Office issued alarming guidance to migrant shelter staffers and other city employees telling them to let ICE officers in if they felt “reasonably threatened,” the administration previewed new guidance this week omitting the controversial language that sent widespread fear across immigrant communities and sparked outcries from elected officials and advocates. 

The following is a statement from Carolyn Norton, Deputy Chief of Litigation and Advocacy at Legal Services NYC, on the proposed guidance:

“While we are relieved that the Adams Administration proposed new guidance that now follows New York City’s long-standing sanctuary city laws by not letting in immigration authorities without a judicial warrant, we have very real concerns about what the initial guidance is signaling to New York’s immigrant communities who are already very much afraid. For nearly 40 years, NYC has upheld some version of our sanctuary city laws as a matter of public safety, allowing all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, to access life-saving medical care, vital city services, schools and places of worship without fear of ICE collaboration. New York City must uphold these vital laws and must do so publicly and without equivocation. Peoples’ lives are at risk and they must be assured that they and their families can live in New York City safely.”