Mayor Bill De Blasio: Reports Of ICE Action In NY Ahead Of Planned Raids
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio said there were reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the city Saturday.
The mayor tweeted Saturday morning that he had received reports of "attempted but reportedly unsuccessful ICE enforcement actions" in Sunset Park and Harlem.
De Blasio has been speaking out against the raids, saying on Twitter, "Let's be blunt here: [President Donald Trump] has turned ICE into a political weapon against our immigrant communities."
RELATED STORY: Hispanic Communities In New York , New Jersey Preparing For Impending ICE Raids
Sunday is the expected start date for ICE agents will begin carrying out raids in at least ten major cities across the country including in New York.
White House officials say immigration authorities will mostly target illegal immigrants and those who've been issued final orders of removal from the country.
RELATED STORY: ICE To Carry Out Nationwide Raid For Undocumented Immigrants In New York, Other Major Cities This Weekend
Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, put out a letter Friday saying, "Our job is to simply enforce all laws equally upon all individuals so that each person receives equal justice under the law."
He goes on to encourage officers not to "leave any ICE agent abandoned if in need of assistance."
A rally against the planned raids was held Friday in Foley Square. One man at the rally told CBS2 he has been in the United States for 16 years, but he admitted his family's immigration status is still up in the air.
"That doesn't mean we are robbers or bad people," he said.
Web Extra: Cardinal Timothy Dolan Celebrates Mass At Washington Heights Church --
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, celebrated the noon mass at the St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Washington Heights on Saturday in honor of the saint's 169th birthday. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the Patron Saint of Immigrants.
