President Donald Trump warned Democrat-run sanctuary cities will see stepped-up federal scrutiny.
And New York City is next for heightened Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to acting Director Todd Lyons.
“You will see an increase in ICE arrests because there are so many criminal illegal aliens that have been released in New York specifically, and especially have been harbored in New York for the lack of cooperation there in New York City,” Lyons said in a televised interview Wednesday morning, as highlighted by the Republican National Committee’s rapid response X account.
“So you will see us making those criminal arrests, making New York safe again,” Lyons said. “But I will tell you it’s definitely intelligence driven. It’s not random. We’re not just pulling people off the street. There was specific reason, based on criminal intelligence and criminal activity, that we showed up on Canal Street.”
Lyons’ warning comes as Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., is decrying the Trump administration moves.
“Yet again, masked DHS agents have brought their mass deportation dragnet to the streets of New York City, using excessive force to indiscriminately detain and arrest non-violent individuals while stoking fear in all New Yorkers,” Goldman wrote on X, suggesting law enforcement are “militants” invading the Democrat-run sanctuary for illegals and criminal migrants.
“While we wait to learn more about this latest militant show of force in our city, my office is committed to assisting our constituents and holding this administration accountable,” he said.
Lyons was undeterred by the Democrat anti-policing rhetoric, vowing to not stop working to rid the New York City streets of crime, illegal migrants, criminals, and disorder.
“For the people of New York, they’re going to see ICE and our other federal partners do the law enforcement mission,” Lyons said in his interview. “This wasn’t something organically happening overnight and we just started to go hit Canal Street.
“With any criminal investigation you have to build up intelligence, you have to work with sources, you have to go ahead and have the right evidence and go and work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
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