Amid Trump promise of mass deportations, NYPD memo reminds officers their job is not to help ICE

In anticipation of President Trump’s promises to execute mass deportations immediately after taking office, the NYPD issued an internal memo reminding cops of existing laws blocking them from lending a hand to federal immigration authorities. 

While the mayor has publicly declined to answer whether he will cooperate with federal immigration raids on New York, the NYPD memo is the latest in a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity to remind city staff of laws blocking cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The internal operations order, issued by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Saturday, reminded cops they can’t engage or assist with immigration enforcement or allow NYPD resources to be used for that purpose, either. 

“The fact that a person is present in the United States without lawful authorization is a civil matter, not a crime,” Tisch wrote.

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection could make arrests at or near “sensitive” locations like churches and schools.

That announcement and the slew of executive orders targeted at immigration have sparked fear among immigrants and advocates. Those included an executive order seeking to end the constitutional right to birthright citizenship.

The memo, going into detail, said that police officers cannot contact the feds to tell them where individuals are located, cannot detain them and cannot use Police Department facilities to help ICE.

Officers who encounter ICE conducting immigration raids must inform the Operations Division of the NYPD, who will then reach out to duty chiefs and the Legal Bureau. The Operations Division was also told to monitor for federal immigration enforcement in the city.

Even if federal immigration officials have a warrant, cops cannot release anyone from custody without authorization from the city lawyers and the officers’ operations command.

The NYPD memo comes amid a rapidly changing environment with Trump moving quickly to deliver on his campaign promise to remove dangerous immigrants from the country and stop the flow of migrants across the southern border.

Asked about his view Tuesday, Adams said he has told Trump he will not publicly disparage the president, but communicate any concerns he might have directly,

“We’re not going to agree on everything, but those areas that we disagree, I’m going to personally share with [Trump], and he has given me an opportunity to communicate with him directly on issues we disagree, and I respect that,” Adams said during his weekly press briefing.

The NYPD memo also comes as Trump has directed the Justice Department to look at any local efforts to block immigration enforcement.

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs also issued a memo in the leadup to Trump’s presidency reminding all city agencies of sanctuary city laws, Rebecca Engel, director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at the office, said at a City Council oversight hearing last week.

The Law Department also hosted a briefing earlier this month to give general counsels a refresher on the city’s laws ahead of Trump’s expected immigration actions.

And New York City’s public school system hosted training sessions on the city’s laws this month for principals and administrators, telling staff what to do if feds request access to school grounds.

Originally Published: January 22, 2025 at 11:33 AM EST