New York lawmakers approve 'sanctuary' state proposal

(The Center Square) — New York Democrats are moving forward with plans to restrict cooperation with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown despite the threat of federal intervention and legal challenges.

A provision tacked onto the state budget package, approved Thursday, will limit cooperation between state and local police with U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement officers by prohibiting the federal agency from deputizing local police to help detain undocumented immigrants.

Local cops would be barred from acting as federal agents or using taxpayer funds and resources for civil immigration cases, under the so-called Public Protection and General Government Act.

It would also restrict ICE agents from entering "sensitive" areas such as schools, daycares, senior centers, as well as state and local facilities, without a valid court order or judicial warrant.

ICE agents would also be prohibited from wearing masks or covering their faces during immigration operations in the state, under the proposal.

Democrats who pushed the bill through as part of the state budget process said the protections are needed as the Trump administration threatens to target undocumented immigrants for deportation.

"These protections are a moral imperative for every vulnerable immigrant New Yorker who lives every day in fear of what a knock on the door might mean," state Assembly member Karines Reyes, a Bronx Democrat, said in a statement. "Our children deserve to learn without terror. Our families deserve to pray without looking over their shoulders."

But approval of the measure comes after Trump's border security czar Tom Homan renewed threats to "flood the zone" in New York with ICE agents if state lawmakers approve plans to limit local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

New York City saw a surge of hundreds of thousands of migrants during the Biden administration that overwhelmed the city's shelter system. The city has spent billions of dollars over the past several years on housing, food and necessities for the new arrivals, prompting threats from the Trump administration to pull back federal funding.

New York Republicans blasted the measure, saying it will create public safety issues and put the state in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's crackdown on 'sanctuary' designations.

“Thanks to Albany Democrats, New York is now a sanctuary state on steroids," Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra said in a statement. "The state that endured the most disastrous and costly impacts of the migrant influx today took a major step to ensure history will repeat itself. This isn’t ‘public protection.’ It’s reckless and radical policymaking."

By Chris Wade | The Center Square contributor