Chair Encarnación frames New York City's sanctuary legacy
Chair Encarnación frames New York City's sanctuary legacy, noting local laws since 2011 that restrict city resources from facilitating federal immigration enforcement. She says these safeguards are meant to uphold the dignity of all residents.
I'd like to thank all of the representatives from the administration, members of the public, and my council colleagues who have joined us here today, including Council Member Lewis.
New York City has a proud legacy of restricting the use of city time or property to facilitate federal immigration enforcement.
Local laws enacted by the council since 2011 have directed city resources away from the enforcement of xenophobic federal immigration policies and the agencies that weaponize them.
These safeguards ensure that the city does not conduct civil immigration enforcement and that it instead upholds the dignity of all residents of our sanctuary city.
But laws are only as good as their enforcement and implementation.