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Citing “City Hall analysis,” the New York Daily News reported that arrests by ICE in the region increased by more than 65 percent in 2017 as compared to the previous year. Since Trump has taken office, arrests by ICE of people with no criminal convictions has increased by 225 percent, the report states.
Last month, in the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 225 alleged illegal aliens for violating U.S. immigration laws during a six-day stretch that concluded on April 14.
"ICE continues to face significant obstacles with policies created by local officials which hinder cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement. Yet, with the tireless efforts of the men and women of ICE, this operation was a great success," Thomas Decker, field office director for ERO New York said in a statement last month. "The fact is that a so-called "sanctuary city" does not only provide refuge to those who are here against immigration law, but also provides protections for criminal aliens who prey on the people in their own communities by committing crimes at all levels. ICE is committed to enforcing the immigration laws set forth by Congress with integrity, despite the push-back and rhetoric within the city they serve."
The New York City area referenced by officials in the report includes the five boroughs, Long Island, as well as Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan, Orange, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester counties.
According to ICE, of those arrested, more than 180 were convicted criminals or had criminal charges pending, more than 80 had been issued a final order of removal and failed to depart the United States, or had been previously removed from the United States and returned illegally. Several had prior felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, such as child sex crimes, weapons charges, and assault, or had past convictions for significant or multiple misdemeanors.
The report states that, “the spike in New York comes as immigration enforcement efforts also spiked nationally. Removals of undocumented people by ICE also increased — by 109% overall in the New York City area, and by more than 155% for those immigrants without prior criminal convictions. The statistics are in comparison for the same eight-month period in 2016.”
The complete report from the New York Daily News can be read here.
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