Immigration rights advocates are condemning ICE and the city’s Departments of Social and Homeless Services (DSS-DHS) on Monday for allegedly breaking sanctuary city laws after it was reported that federal agents entered shelters without a proper warrant.
First reported by Gothamist, federal agents allegedly were permitted entry into a city shelter on two separate occasions by employees without verifying that they had the necessary paperwork. In two additional cases, the outlet stated it learned that ICE had bypassed staff completely and entered a shelter premises without providing a warrant.
The report sparked outrage among, in particular, shelter providers across the five boroughs. Women in Need (Win), the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for families experiencing homelessness in New York City, denounced ICE activity in the shelter system as unlawful.
“Win condemns ICE’s disregard of our nation’s Constitutional Rights, NYC’s sanctuary laws, and due process. The forceful and intimidating actions by ICE pose an existential threat to the safety and security of both shelter-based staff and clients. Recent incidents nationwide and in New York City underscore ICE’s overreach and the fear it instills in vulnerable communities of color through racial profiling and discriminatory enforcement,” said Christine C. Quinn, president & CEO of Win. “These unlawful practices have no place in our city and put migrants and shelter workers at risk.”
The report indicated that the purpose of the proposed unlawful entry was to garner information on residents. Sources within DSS-DHS claimed that the incidents are not as definite.
According to an agency insider, in one incident, armed federal agents demanded information regarding a specific person, and the shelter employee responded that the person no longer lived at the location in hopes of getting them to leave. During another case, the agents allegedly searched a logbook without permission or assistance from any staff member.
One DSS-DHS source laid blame at the feet of City Hall, stating that a directive from the Adams Administration indicated that workers may allow ICE into shelters if they felt threatened. This caused confusion on how to handle the federal agents when they arrived at city shelters.
“The Department of Homeless Services has taken important steps to ensure shelter staff are clear on protocols around compliance with all local and federal laws, with an emphasis on strict adherence to the city’s Sanctuary laws,” DSS-DHS spokesperson Neha Sharma said. “The agency has taken exceptional care to closely monitor any incidents involving non-local law enforcement and followed up with contracted provider staff in every instance while addressing rare or inadvertent lapses in protocol. Most of these incidents took place earlier this year when a change in operational guidance was in place, since we have reverted back to long-established agency guidance, we haven’t seen similar incidents. ”
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, remained unconvinced, weighing in on the controversy by charging that the DSS-DHS has eroded trust with the public.
“No New Yorker should be terrorized by Trump’s ICE while accessing City services, and especially not when New York City’s sanctuary laws specifically prohibit federal immigration agents from entering private spaces without a judicial warrant. When the DSS breaks those policies on multiple occasions, trust in our public institutions erodes,” Awawdeh said. “When the Mamdami administration begins next month, there must be a commitment to enforcing our sanctuary laws and rigorously training all City staff on how to implement them.”
