By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -White House border czar Tom Homan said on Tuesday he plans to ramp up federal immigration enforcement efforts in New York City, a month after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carried out a high-profile raid targeting Manhattan street vendors.
The Trump administration is already carrying out immigration operations in New York City.
“I plan on being in New York City in the near future. We’re going to do operations in New York City,” Homan said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” program.
“We will increase the enforcement presence in New York City. Again, because they’re a sanctuary city and there are public safety threats hitting the streets every day,” he added.
Homan did not say when those increase efforts will start. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration operations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“New York City’s more than three million immigrants are central to our city’s strength, vitality, and success,” New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said via email.
“The mayor-elect remains steadfast in his commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every single New Yorker and upholding our sanctuary laws.”
Jess D’Amelia, a spokesperson for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, said the state will continue to work with local and federal law enforcement to enforce its laws and protect New Yorkers.
“As Governor Hochul has made clear, federal intervention is not wanted or needed,” she said in a statement.
Homan’s comments follow reporting by The New York Times last week that the Trump administration is exploring whether to use a Coast Guard facility on Staten Island to hold detained migrants.
Republican President Donald Trump has launched an aggressive immigration crackdown targeting major U.S. cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
The White House says its immigration enforcement is focused on anti-crime efforts.
Hochul and Mamdani discussed the possibility of an ICE surge in New York, which is the most populous U.S. city, when they met last week. They agreed that such a surge would not improve public safety, according a readout of that meeting.
A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Daniel Wallis)
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