Peekskill Police Won’t Target Undocumented Immigrants in City
The edict from President Donald Trump to more aggressively enforce federal immigration policies has many of the estimated 60,000 undocumented residents in Westchester County living on the edge.
“There are a lot of people frightened out there,” Peekskill Councilwoman Kathy Talbot remarked last week during a work session discussion on the sensitive subject that has sparked much debate. “They’re not the criminals. I worry about that community being targeted.”
However, Police Chief Eric Johansen said law abiding residents should not worry about being targeted or be afraid of reporting a crime.
“I can’t stress enough our department does not ask people their immigration status unless they are arrested,” Johansen said. “We’re not authorized to enforce immigration law. We’re not empowered to do that. I can say with 100 percent certainty we have never asked any crime victim, person who stopped in to ask for directions or sought assistance what their immigration status is. It’s just not done.”
Johansen told the council Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been visiting Peekskill two or three times a year for about the last 15 years but there hasn’t been any recent activity. He noted city cops would provide assistance to ICE during a raid if asked.
“It hasn’t happened in a number of months that I’m aware of,” Johansen said of ICE’s presence in Peekskill. “Law enforcement agencies cooperate with each other. That’s what we do.”
Councilwoman Vivian McKenzie suggested the council try to clarify how city law enforcement was dealing with the White House’s controversial stance with immigrants to try to put “people at ease,” maintaining there was a lot of misinformation circulating in the community.
“I think people are concerned that just because they look like an immigrant they might be stopped and their information is collected,” McKenzie said. “I think it’s the perception that has changed. As a city we need to let our residents know what our policy is.”
Assumption Church in Peekskill hosted an informational meeting Sunday in an effort to help its large contingent of immigrant parishioners.
“Their issue may be a lack of documentation but, in fact, they may be living here and working here and their children are in school here for a very long time,” said Talbot, who added she was concerned some victims of domestic violence or other crimes may be reluctant to come forward for fear of being reported to ICE.
Anticipating major changes to federal immigration enforcement, on January 19 Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released legal guidance to provide localities and local law enforcement with model laws and policies to become sanctuary jurisdictions. Since the guidance was issued, at least nine localities across New York State have used it to protect their immigrant communities, regardless of new federal enforcement practices. Those municipalities include Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, Albany, Kingston, Newburgh, Hudson, White Plains, and Irvington.
“Our legal guidance is clear: President Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally transform state and local police into federal immigration agents,” said Schneiderman. “We know that effective policing – and safe neighborhoods – depend on building and maintaining trust with the communities our officers bravely serve. Yet President Trump’s draconian immigration policies seek to undercut that trust, threatening to drive immigrant communities underground and make them fearful to report crimes, serve as witnesses, and more. The fact that local governments across New York State are utilizing our guidance sends a strong message that we will do what it takes to protect our immigrant communities.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
