Tarrytown Mayor, Trustees Issue Statement On Law Enforcement And Immigration

TARRYTOWN, NY — The mayor and the board of trustees for the Village of Tarrytown issued a statement regarding the local law enforcement and immigration laws.

Mayor Drew Fixell and the trustees made the statement in the wake of the recent presidential executive order Jan. 25 that aimed to crackdown on an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

The village will cooperate with immigration authorities in cases involving serious crimes and will comply with constitutional requests to detain individuals.

However, the mayor and trustees said it was not the role of the village’s police officers to enforce federal immigration laws.

The statement reads as follows:

The Village of Tarrytown is a diverse, inclusive and welcoming community. The Village Board and the Tarrytown Police Department will always be committed to protecting innocent, law abiding residents regardless of immigration status. The safety and well-being of everyone who lives, works in, and visits the Village will always be our number-one priority. We will continue to cooperate with immigration authorities in cases that involve serious crimes, and we always comply with constitutional detainer requests. However, it is not the role of our police officers to enforce federal immigration laws. Every person in the Village of Tarrytown should feel safe stepping forward if they have witnessed a crime or been victimized themselves. Immigration status should never interfere with the cooperation and partnership we need to keep our neighborhoods safe. The focus of the Village Board, Police Department and all Village employees is on serving our community, on building relationships with our residents and on fostering the spirit of unity that has always defined us.

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