Gothamist: ICE enters NYC shelters armed and without judicial warrants, reports show
Federal immigration officers were able to enter private areas of New York City shelters or obtain resident information without presenting judicial warrants at least five times earlier this year, according to official incident reports written by shelter staff and obtained by Gothamist.
New York City’s sanctuary laws bar city staffers from authorizing federal immigration officers to enter private areas of city property, with a few exceptions, including if they are presented with a judicial warrant or if there are “exigent circumstances,” such as imminent danger.
Yet on two occasions, incident reports show, shelter employees allowed immigration officers to enter private areas of shelters and, in a third case, gave officers information about a former resident, all without verifying that the officers had a judicial warrant. In those cases, legal experts who reviewed the reports said staff violated the city’s sanctuary laws.
In the two remaining cases, federal immigration officers bypassed front desk staff and entered private areas of city shelters without presenting a judicial warrant or getting staff permission — actions that attorneys say could also violate constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The federal agents’ actions described in the reports show how the city’s sanctuary laws are being tested by federal officials, and that city employees may not consistently have followed the law.