Enforcing Federal Laws Comes to New York City
In a series of aggressive enforcement actions, federal agents have been targeting suspected immigration violators and protesters in various cities across the United States. The most notable of these operations have been taking place in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York City.
In Los Angeles, heavily armed and masked agents have been conducting checkpoints and raids for months, targeting workplaces, Home Depots, and areas where undocumented immigrants are thought to congregate. This approach has caused people to pull back from aspects of public life, with parents not dropping off kids at school and once-bustling public areas sitting empty. An analysis of ICE data showed that an average of 88 people were being detained per day in a three-week period before a temporary restraining order came down.
Multiple federal judges have found that the sweeps in LA are indiscriminate and unconstitutionally profile people based on factors like race and location. The crackdown in LA has had and probably will have huge deleterious impacts on the city's economy.
The White House and federal authorities, including the FBI, have pressured New York City in recent months to increase the number of arrests, with FBI agents typically responsible for financial and drug crime investigations. So far, enforcement in New York City has been largely confined to arrests at the immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza.
In Washington, D.C., federal officers and soldiers have been deployed and have engaged in hundreds of indiscriminate stops, checkpoints, and arrests. Unlike the LA deployments, the rationale in Washington, D.C. has expanded beyond immigration to general criminal enforcement.
New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés has expressed concern about the lack of specifics from Mayor Eric Adams' administration regarding planning for a potential federal response in the city. Immigrant-heavy neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. are reportedly deserted as residents fear the indiscriminate enforcement.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is receiving appropriations in excess of most of the world's military budgets. Trump and Stephen Miller's strategy has involved sending teams of heavily armed and masked agents to raid workplaces and homes, and deploying federal agents and the National Guard to tamp down resulting protests.
In a move to further escalate enforcement, ICE is also going on a hiring blitz. The administration has faced multiple lawsuits and some court losses amid cratering public support for its immigration actions. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has reportedly implored field agents to focus on workplaces like Home Depots instead of just targeting criminals.
Other jurisdictions have reason to worry about a franchising of the LA model, with New York City being a prime candidate. Troops have reportedly questioned their deployment in this strategy, and the constant presence and seemingly random nature of the operations in LA have caused people to pull back from aspects of public life.
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