New York City's police commissioner is telling officers they should not ask about the immigration status of anyone who uses a municipal ID – a card that's issued to both legal and illegal residents, The Wall Street Journal reported.
In a memo, Commissioner James O'Neill wrote the city's "IDNYC is valid and a recognized form of government-issued identification including for the issuance of a summons and desk appearance ticket," department spokesman Lt. John Grimpel told the Journal.
"We do not inquire about immigration status of crime victims, witnesses or others who call or approach by police seeking assistance."
The city came out with the identification card in 2015, giving access to city services even for illegal immigrants; it is used by at least 900,000 New Yorkers, according to the Journal. Mayor Bill de Blasio has already said he will not let the federal government obtain the personal records from IDNYC, the Journal reported.
The memo also told officers, in order for them to turn someone over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the department would need to receive a warrant from a federal judge – and the person would need to be convicted of one of 170 serious crimes, the Journal reported. The department would also turn over anyone on a terrorism watch list, the memo said.
The memo comes a day after the Department of Homeland Security issued plans to broaden deportation guidelines and resume coordination with local law-enforcement officials.
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