Mayor Landrieu Releases Statement on Department of Justice’s
Confirmation that New Orleans is in Compliance with Federal Immigration Law
New Orleans Remains Committed to Inclusivity
NEW
ORLEANS — Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and New Orleans Police
Department (NOPD) Superintendent Chief Michael Harrison responded to the
confirmation issued by the Department of Justice that NOPD is in full
compliance with federal immigration law, including 8 U.S.C. § 1373.
“As we have maintained for years, the Department of Justice has
confirmed that we are in full compliance with 8 U.S.C. § 1373. Under my
Administration, the New Orleans Police Department has and will continue to
follow all federal laws; however, the NOPD will not be the
federal government’s deportation force. We will build relationships between
the NOPD and all community members. The City of New Orleans will not be
side-tracked by caustic, political rhetoric that seeks to make us fearful of
others and scapegoat immigrants. The NOPD will continue to focus on the arrest
and conviction of violent criminals, regardless of their immigration status,”
said Mayor Landrieu.
Mayor Landrieu’s and Chief Harrison’s response comes after the
Department of Justice issued the confirmation today, October 12, 2017. In
spring 2017, Mayor Landrieu, together with the U.S. Conference of Mayors
(USCM), met with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and officials from
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security to
urge the Trump Administration to provide clarity and a plan to lawfully enforce
this overreaching Executive Order. On April 26, 2017, Mayor Landrieu certified
New Orleans’ full compliance with federal law, including 8 USC §1373.
Mayor Landrieu continued, "The Department of
Justice failed to note in its letter sent to me today that Chapter 41.6.1,
Paragraph 5 of the NOPD’s operation manual states that officers are to follow
Section 1373(a), and that the policy does 'not prohibit, or in any way
restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from,
[ICE] information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or
unlawful, of any individual.' As such, we continue to state unambiguously
that Chapter 41.6.1 does not restrict officers and employees from requesting
information regarding immigration status from federal immigration officers.
Pursuant to standard training procedures, all officers and employees were
notified about the policy in September 2016. Instead of fear-mongering and
false accusations, we urge you to work with mayors across the nation to tackle
violent crime through smart, evidence-based policing."
To view the Mayor's and
Chief’s letter to the Attorney General, click here.
To view the NOPD operation
manual, click here.
To view a legal opinion
showing the City is in compliance with 8 USC §1373, click here.
Mayor Landrieu
is the president of USCM, which is the official nonpartisan
organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,400 such
cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by
its chief elected official, the mayor.
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