NYC corrections officer violated city 'sanctuary' law by sharing migrant information with feds

The New York City Department of Investigations released a report Thursday that concluded a corrections investigator unknowingly violated the city's sanctuary laws by providing information about two migrants in custody to federal authorities. 

The city's so-called sanctuary laws limit local cooperation with federal immigration efforts, but New York City does assist federal officers with criminal enforcement and when a judicial warrant is issued. It does not assist in civil investigations.

The report found the city employee, whose identity was not released, was part of a joint homeland security task force and relayed real-time information about the migrants to the federal government, including the movements of one migrant after the person was released from Rikers Island. Both migrants had been charged in criminal cases that were still pending but had not been convicted, per Politico. 

The Department of Corrections investigator did not know he was violating city law when he reported the information to federal officials, which the probe blamed on the DOC's lack of training and awareness of local laws and the relationship between city law enforcement and federal immigration officers.

“DOI found that in at least two instances a DOC investigator unwittingly violated the law and DOC policy and that DOC failed to provide proper guidance and training to DOC staff about how to comply with City law and DOC’s own policy while maintaining critical law enforcement partnerships with federal agencies,” DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said in a statement.

A New York City spokesperson said the city had not been aware of the violation and that immediate action was taken on training.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.