Gothamist: Council leaders, others want more training for when ICE visits NYC shelters
New York immigration advocates and City Council members are calling for more rigorous training of city shelter staff, following a Gothamist investigation that raised questions about whether the workers properly followed the city’s sanctuary city protections when federal immigration officers visited facilities.
City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, who chairs the Committee on General Welfare, which oversees the city’s Department of Social Services, said Monday, “They definitely have to revisit how they’re training, what they’re training, how often they’re training — and get ahead of ICE,” the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The city agency runs most NYC shelters.
Ayala added, “Working with ICE or any level of law enforcement is intimidating. Many of the folks working in security don’t have that experience.