As President Donald Trump’s federal funding suspension for sanctuary cities looms, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan signed an executive order Monday barring any city employees from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
Trump said earlier this month that starting Feb. 1, the government will not be making any payments to cities that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants because “it breeds fraud and crime.”
Although Buffalo is not on the list of sanctuary jurisdictions published by the Department of Justice, New York is.
In a news release, Ryan said the order will take effect immediately and is in the interest of public safety to counteract fear around Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations.
“This executive order makes clear that the City of Buffalo will not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement, so that no one is afraid to report a crime, call the fire department, or walk into City Hall for help,” Ryan said. “Anyone who lives in Buffalo has a right to our services, and our city government will never be used to intimidate or target residents.”
Under the new executive order, city employees are prohibited from engaging in or supporting federal civil immigration enforcement activities conducted by federal agencies such as ICE or DHS.
The directive also limits the collection of immigration status information by city workers, except where required by law, and restricts access to non-public city facilities by federal immigration authorities without a valid judicial warrant.
A portion of the national immigration debate centers on administrative warrants used by DHS and its agencies. Unlike judicial warrants, which are signed by a judge and authorize both arrest and search, administrative warrants are issued by immigration officials.
Ryan also said in his executive order that city departments must now report all requests from federal civil immigration authorities to the mayor annually. Ryan added mandatory training to ensure city personnel understand and implement the policy.
While the order sharply limits Buffalo’s role in immigration enforcement, it does not curtail cooperation with criminal law enforcement.
Trump has called on Congress to pass legislation ending sanctuary city policies, like the one in Buffalo, following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
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He also called on Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), to cease their resistance and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement or face suspension of federal funding.
Since his call to action, Trump has made efforts to mediate the chaos by having a “very good” conversation with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.