New York Attorney General Letitia James is launching a new initiative, called the “Legal Observation Project,” to monitor federal immigration enforcement activity in the state for potential legal violations.
The office will collect reports of “significant” immigration enforcement actions throughout the state and, in the coming weeks, will send trained legal observers in purple vests to document on-the-ground enforcement activities and related protests. The information collected may inform future legal action brought by the office, James said.
The initiative announced Tuesday comes as federal immigration enforcement activities are attracting scrutiny across the country following a pair of fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and clashes between federal officers and protesters. In announcing the project, James invoked concerns about the enforcement operations in Minnesota, where thousands of DHS personnel have been deployed.
“We have seen in Minnesota how quickly and tragically federal operations can escalate in the absence of transparency and accountability,” James said in a statement. “My office is launching the Legal Observation Project to examine federal enforcement activity in New York and whether it remains within the bounds of the law.”
There was no immediate comment from the Department of Homeland Security.
The observers won’t interfere with immigration enforcement activity, the attorney general’s office said. The project is intended to help the office assess whether federal immigration enforcement activity complies with local, state and federal law.
James encouraged New Yorkers to submit videos or other documentation of federal immigration enforcement actions through the office’s online portal.