NYC ICE Director Slams City’s Sanctuary Status: ‘It Would Take A Lifetime To Clear The City Of Criminals’

Migrants camp outside a hotel where they had previously been housed, as they resist efforts by the city to relocate them to a Brooklyn facility for asylum seekers, in the Hells Kitchen neighborhood of New York on January 31, 2023.

NYC Immigration Customs Enforcement field office director, Kenneth Genalo, revealed that “In New York City, it would take a lifetime to clear the city of criminals that we have,” in the context of migrant crime.

Over 233,000 migrants now live in New York City following the Biden administration’s immigration crisis.

The city has spent over $5 billion on essential services for migrants like housing, food and medical costs, public services and supplies, as well as administration costs.

At least 58,000 migrants currently live in taxpayer-funded shelters run by the city, and ICE reportedly would not reveal how many migrants living in subsidized shelters were criminals.

“We need additional resources,” Genalo continued in an interview with the New York Post. “The fact is that I have to focus all of my resources on the worst of the worst, the most egregious violations. All I can tell you is we have leads that we work every day – and it’s not in the hundreds.”

Genalo’s comments follow President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in which he announced that “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America,” although it is currently unclear how Trump’s deportation campaign will interact with NYC as it has sanctuary policies in place.

Genalo added that he is extremely “frustrated” with the city’s sanctuary laws, claiming that “The only people they’re shielding are the criminals, and they’re shielding the criminals from us.”

ICE statistics reveal that as of July 21^st, there are 662,586 migrants who have been convicted of felonies or have criminal charges currently pending.

“The majority of these crimes that are being committed are against the most vulnerable people in the community, and that’s the migrant females and the migrant children. I don’t understand how they believe sanctuary policies are helping or assisting,” Genalo stated.

Additionally, Genalo spoke on Mayor Eric Adams’ position, who has been a critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the immigration crisis, previously stating that the issue of migrants flooding in “will destroy New York City.”

Adams also issued support for the city’s sanctuary laws to be loosened, allowing for migrants who are suspected of “serious” crimes to be handed over to ICE agents.

“The mayor knows we need to cooperate,” Genalo added. “He sees what’s going on in New York City, and he wants help from the federal government.”

Additionally, Trump’s new appointed “border czar” Tom Homan, recently stated that federal agents would be going after migrant criminals, regardless of the city or state’s sanctuary status.

“They don’t have to help us, but they need to get the hell out of the way cuz we’re comin, we’re gonna do it. Which means if I gotta send twice as many resources to that sanctuary city, twice as many agents, that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Homan stated.

“And I’ve been saying for the last several days that they need to study the law,” he added. “They can not help, but don’t impede us, and don’t cross certain lines.”

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