One day after the nation observes the 17th anniversary of Sept. 11, the New York City Council will vote on a measure to prohibit the city from contracting with “entities engaged in immigration enforcement,” including those dealing with anti-terrorism training.
The measure introduced by City Councilman Carlos Menchaca, a Democrat, is so incredibly beyond reason and potentially harmful that even the Mayor Bill de Blasio has refused to back it – and he backs any item on the open borders agenda.
One of the primary arguments against it is the simple fact that the city only has two contracts with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), only one of which affects U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE’s parent entity, and neither agreement pertains whatsoever to civil immigration enforcement .
New York City Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Bitta Mostofi testified at a Sept. 6 council hearing that the city has one contract that allows DHS agents access to use a city lab to test the air for biotoxins.
The other contract gives agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) permission to use the NYPD’s Bronx firing range. HSI is the criminal investigations division of ICE, and is responsible for enforcing myriad federal statutes covering everything from terrorism to customs violations.
Mostofi noted the “contract serves extremely important national security interests, and is unrelated to civil immigration enforcement,” but that did not play on Menchaca’s deaf ears and mind.
Menchaca argued at last week’s meeting that “rogue immigration enforcement under ICE has been a problem since its inception,” which reinforced the need to “disentangle” the city from ICE .
He added that the issue is “not just about dollars and cents, about a contract with revenue, but also a message to a community that needs us to stand up and say no” and to “strengthen our standing as a sanctuary city.” In short, according to Menchaca, the benefits of the bill’s symbolism far outweigh any cost to security. He is, apparently, as convinced of his own virtue as he is that he has the votes necessary to pass the bill – regardless of the mayor’s position.
“This Council has done many things against the will of this mayor, so theoretically, absolutely we will have” the votes, he said, according to the New York Post.
The city’s sanctuary city policies already have created security risks in the Big Apple, but whether other council members are willing to undermine efforts to prevent another terrorist attack for the sake of appearances and immigrants’ feelings will be known Wednesday when they vote on the bill.