NYPD agrees to stricter practices on immigration enforcement post Department of Investigation probe

Protesters arrested at anti-ICE demonstration

The NYPD took several demonstrators into custody during an anti-ICE protest in Chinatown.

NEW YORK - New York City's Department of Investigation (DOI) found that the NYPD, overall, complies with sanctuary city laws.

DOI probe into NYPD practices

What we know:

The DOI investigation was prompted by a referral made by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Chair of the Oversight and Investigations Committee Gale Brewer.

The city's Department of Investigation (DOI) identified only a single incident where an NYPD officer violated local law by assisting federal authorities in enforcing civil immigration law. The investigation also found that the NYPD, overall, complies with sanctuary city laws.

As a result, the DOI has issued seven recommendations to improve NYPD practices – the NYPD has accepted all of these recommendations.

The backstory:

The DOI investigation was prompted by a referral made by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Chair of the Oversight and Investigations Committee Gale Brewer.

DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber specifically highlighted that police officers assisting in the enforcement of federal immigration laws is not completely restricted, only limited.

The report in its entirety can be read below:

What they're saying:

A spokesperson for the NYPD provided a comment to FOX 5 NY: "As the report demonstrates, the NYPD has worked diligently to comply with New York’s sanctuary city laws. We appreciate DOI’s comprehensive report and have accepted all their recommendations to make our policies even stronger."

Adams and Brewer provided a statement on the report:

"In the face of a federal administration taking unlawful action to sow fear and chaos that undermines safety, it’s essential that city agencies follow local laws to protect New Yorkers and maintain public trust. DOI’s investigation revealed gaps in NYPD’s compliance with our city’s laws that must be addressed. The incident of an individual officer violating sanctuary law and the other reviewed cases in this report are deeply troubling. It’s critical that any agency staff who violate city laws are held accountable to send a clear message that those actions are unacceptable. The NYPD must also apply greater scrutiny to federal requests, so it is not complicit in facilitating the Trump administration’s extrajudicial practices. We thank DOI for their investigation and continued efforts to strengthen agency compliance with city laws and prevent future incidents from occurring."