POLITICS: New York AG Letitia James pushes back on Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown while local official urges they ‘come together to work on making New York City and America safe’ – USSA News

New York Attorney General Letitia James is attempting to stall President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, Fox News reported. The strategy has backfired for James, whom some are accusing of disregarding public safety. 

At Trump’s direction, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have initiated several raids this week on illegal immigrants. James is more worried about the potential criminals being removed than the people of New York who are impacted by their presence.

“My office is aware of the increased presence of ICE across New York City. I am monitoring the situation to ensure our laws are being respected and people’s rights are not being violated,” James said in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. She also included guidance from her office for how local officials should handle the raids.

See more

My office is aware of the increased presence of ICE across New York City.

I am monitoring the situation to ensure our laws are being respected and people’s rights are not being violated.

We have sent guidance to law enforcement, and it must be followed:https://t.co/B4OGuUj35E

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) January 28, 2025

Red Tape

Following Tuesday’s raids, Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams was eager to cooperate. Adams said he would “not hesitate to partner with federal authorities to bring violent criminals to justice — just as we have done for years” after the raids were conducted.

This is in stark contrast to the stance James took. Part of her guidance included a reminder that local law enforcement officers are “not ordinarily permitted to detain people at the request of federal civil immigration authorities alone without a judicial warrant” in New York.

It seems James is counting on red tape to keep her so-called “sanctuary state” status. “In accordance with the federal and state constitutions, New York law permits arrest and detention only when law enforcement officials have probable cause to believe that an individual has committed a crime or offense,” the guidance said.

“A judicial warrant, signed by an Article III or federal magistrate judge, would demonstrate the necessary probable cause, and justify the arrest and detention. Absent a judicial warrant, however, further detention is permissible only upon a separate showing of probable cause that the individual committed a crime or offense, or that an exception to the probable cause requirement applies,” it added.

This demonstrates her displaced concern while the people of her state suffer the ill effects of thousands of unvetted people flooding the state. This is something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by people like Sgt. Joseph Imperatrice.

Sacrificing Safety

Imperatrice, Blue Lives Matter NYC founder, slammed James for prioritizing illegal immigrants over citizens. “The number one goal of any person in office is the safety of their constituents,” Imperatrice told Fox News Digital.

“And I believe that, across the board, our politicians need to get on the same page, work together, understand each other and why we’re doing what we’re doing. We cannot have people coming into our country committing violent felonies and then speaking out about it when it could have been prevented,” he added.

“The second you break our rules or commit a violent felony or any type of felony, your rights should be rescinded. And that’s where we all need to get on the same page to work for a safer America and a safer New York City,” Imperatrice continued.

“We need to listen to the communities we serve since they’re the ones that pay our taxes to be able to pay for the salaries of our first responders, and they’re the ones that vote for our politicians. Their voices need to be heard,” he said. Imperatrice added that “we need to come together to work on making New York City and America safe.”

It’s essential to ensure all laws are applied appropriately, including when deporting illegal immigrants. However, James has made it clear that she’s on the side of the criminals while the rest of New York suffers from the crimes.