On Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio — who was one of countless visitors to Trump Tower — reinforced his stance of fighting back against President-Elect Donald Trump’s policies that impair New Yorkers’ rights. Speaking with a crowd at Cooper Union’s Great Hall, DeBlasio said his administration would not assist the federal government in deporting illegal immigrants, reenact stop-and-frisk, or assist in providing information for Trump’s proposed national registry of Muslims.
De Blasio’s comments come at a time when Trump’s policies and administration picks are — ever so slowly — starting to become clearer. In the hours and days after the surprising election, no one in the Trump campaign was ready to immediately divulge the country’s plans for the next four years. But as more people are ascending to Trump Tower, and Kellyanne Conway is returning to TV screens, proposals may soon start to take shape, and de Blasio is ready to push back if necessary:
“And we will fight anything we see as undermining our values. And here is my promise to you as your mayor – we will use all the tools at our disposal to stand up for our people. If all Muslims are required to register, we will take legal action to block it…This is New York. Nothing about who we are changed on Election Day.”
The Wall Street Journal notes how New York has approximately 500,000 illegal immigrants living within its borders, and it has procedures that shelter them from deportation. During De Blasio’s speech on Monday, he said he would also block stop-and-frisk procedures and fight for resident’s rights. His passionate declaration is enough to get anyone pumped to be a New Yorker, but his steadfast approach may have some caveats. As The Journal points out, opposing the federal government’s order could cost some federal funding, and the city depends on 10 percent of its $83 billion budget coming from Washington, D.C. Then again, NYC’s currently dropping a lot of money on Trump, so this may be a gamble de Blasio’ willing to take.
(Via The Wall Street Journal & Gothamist)