Gothamist: ICE enters NYC shelters armed and without judicial warrants, reports show

"Federal immigration officers were able to enter private areas of New York City shelters or obtain resident information without presenting judicial warrants at least five times earlier this year, according to official incident reports written by shelter staff and obtained by Gothamist.

New York City’s sanctuary laws bar city staffers from authorizing federal immigration officers to enter private areas of city property, with a few exceptions, including if they are presented with a judicial warrant or if there are “exigent circumstances,” such as imminent danger."

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"The reports show at least one person was arrested after immigration officers entered a shelter. On Feb. 20, seven federal agents — wearing facemasks, camouflage, bulletproof vests and carrying guns — entered a Brooklyn shelter and arrested a 30-year-old resident from Venezuela, according to an incident report and the man’s attorney, Molly Lauterback. Lauterback said her client was arrested for immigration reasons, and had no criminal history.

“The extreme show of force here — seven armed agents in facemasks — was to intimidate staff so they could arrest our client in contravention of city law,” Lauterback, an immigration attorney with Brooklyn Defender Services, said in a statement."

Read the full article here.

 

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