Correction department agrees to audit into ICE collaboration ban | amNewYork

"In September, the city issued a report with findings that correction officers had violated the city's sanctuary city laws by providing information on incarcerated people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. In response, the agency had declined a recommendation to undertake a full audit on the matter, pushing back that it would not be practical."

"The report found that in February 2025, a DOC investigator working with the Homeland Security Investigations Violent Gang Task Force coordinated with ICE about where to find a person who was being released from city custody. It also found a second incident where the same investigator also broke the law around communicating with ICE."

"James Conroy, general counsel to the DOC, said that while the agency had only partially accepted the recommendation of the audit at the time of the report's publication in September, since then it has already started the process of the audit. The issue with that specific recommendation was not that we were unwilling. It really comes down to practicality."

The Department of Correction reversed its previous stance and committed to conducting a full audit of its compliance with sanctuary city laws following Mayor Zohran Mamdani's executive order. A September report from the Department of Investigation found that correction officers violated sanctuary city laws by sharing information about incarcerated individuals with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The report documented two incidents where a DOC investigator coordinated with ICE and Homeland Security Investigations. Initially, the agency declined to undertake a full audit, citing practicality concerns. However, during a City Council hearing, DOC officials acknowledged they had already begun the audit process and committed to achieving full compliance with sanctuary laws.

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