The New York Police Department will take its lead regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s expected mass deportation of illegal migrants from the mayor and city officials, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told Newsmax on Friday.
Trump, who will return to office on Jan. 20, has named former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan to serve as "border czar" in his incoming administration.
Homan is expected to enforce Trump's campaign pledge to launch the largest deportation operation in the country's history.
During an appearance on "National Report," Chell was asked whether the NYPD would support a mass deportation of illegal migrants.
"Right now, on our sanctuary city laws, we have to follow the law. We don't work with the federal government with deportation, we work with just keeping the city safe," Chell told co-hosts Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg.
"If changes are made that process will take its place and we'll get our direction from our mayor and our city hall as to how we're going to approach that."
New York City Democrat Mayor Eric Adams last week vowed to work with Trump to address the migrant crisis, while stressing the city will remain a sanctuary city,
"We've taken on about 225,000 migrants since April of 2022. And let's be clear, there's a small minority of them that are committing crimes in the city," Chell said. "At the end of the day, we don't care about your status as a police department. We're just going after the people that hurt our city.
"And as far as the mayor and what he's going to do, I leave that to him and his team. What we do here is just try to keep this the safest city in America."
With Trump preparing to serve another four years as the country’s chief executive, Chell said some security changes will be made in the city, especially around Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.
"We did this in 2016," Chell said of the year Trump won his first term as president. "I've already been at Trump Towers during the assassination attempt. How we can make it safer for him and his family with the Secret Service. I've heard all partners.
"And now, of course, he won the election. So, we have an apparatus there. We're going to take a look at it. What can we do better? What do we need to do?"
Kraisman asked whether NYPD security measures take into account that incoming first lady Melania Trump is expected to live part-time in the city, and son Barron Trump is reportedly attending NYU.
"Absolutely," he said. "Those adjustments will be made based on scheduling and what his family is coming and going. There's other properties around town that we monitor, but we did it in 2016. We've done it before."
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