NYC Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry on cooperating with ICE: "It's important to have a seat at the table"
New York City's Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry sat down with CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer for this week's episode of "The Point."
Kaz Daughtry on immigration enforcement
A new poll shows public opinion has shifted on cooperating with ICE agents, with the public now just about evenly divided between those who support cooperating with ICE and those who don't. Why is that?
"When it comes to working with the feds in regards to immigration, we only deal with criminal enforcement, Marcia. That's it. And the feds know ... we can not get involved involved in civil immigration matters. Criminal matters? We are all in," Daughtry said. "We can not get involved ... for civil immigration stuff. We can't do that. Hands off. They know it, we know it, and we don't try to skirt around it and see how we can work with them."
Daughtry said he's been criticized for working with the feds on criminal investigations involving transnational gangs.
"These are people ... bad people, bad people ... murders, robberies, they came here and they victimized New Yorkers," Daughtry said. "Taking these transnational gang members off our streets is helping New Yorkers."
What about the concerns of the immigrant community about using city services?
"Have you ever heard of a case where the feds, ICE, HSI going into one of our public schools?" Daughtry said. "Have you ever heard of an incident where the feds or ICE were going into a house of worship? This is why it's important to have a seat at the table, to see what's on the menu, and to be on the menu. And that's what the open dialogue between this administration and the federal authorities is all about."
Daughtry also spoke about the meeting he had with President Trump.
"We had conversations on the golf course. They will remain private," Daughtry said. "I will share this piece of information with you. The president is all about public safety. New York is a very special place to him. We have a connection - he was born in Queens. I was born in Queens. And he wants the best stuff to happen for New York City."
Daughtry on use of drones in public safety
Daughtry said he's hoping to install drones on the roofs of certain police precincts and fire department stationhouses.
"I want the drones on top of the firehouses, so when they get the call ... as soon as the drones get that alert, the drone would dispatch before the fire truck even comes out of the house," Daughtry said. "Then they can see exactly where the fire's at, and they can have an attack plan ... in place before they even get to the fire."
Daughtry also talked about the NYPD pursuing anti-drone technology, to take down hostile drones. He described using drones to shoot nets around hostile drones, which then deploy parachutes so that the hostile drones can safely land.
Daughtry also described his desire to have a public-facing drone dashboard, so people can see how the NYPD drones are being used.
"They can see exactly what the call is, and they would know that that drone was there to help them, instead of spy on them," Daughtry said.
Ken Jenkins on Westchester County and immigration enforcement
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said police in his county would work with the feds on criminal matters, not civil.
"As far as civil immigration matters, the county's not doing the federal government's job. If someone comes in with a judicial warrant, we honor those judicial warrants and we follow the law. But as far as just working with someone on a civil immigration matter, that is not our job to do. We help our federal law enforcement partners do what they need to do," Jenkins said.
Jenkins also spoke about the impact on Westchester County from the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump.
"The impact is huge. Six billion dollars of impact to all of our hospitals. We have world-class hospitals in Westchester County," Jenkins said. "The reduction is two-fold. So if someone is not on Medicaid anymore, they don't even have the insurance even at a minimum level, that hospital now is going to take that person in in the most expensive care possible - in an emergency room. And now, they're not going to get reimbursed for even that. So now the hospitals are going to be having challenges, which they already are, and people are not going to get served."
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