NYC ICE director declares ‘it would take a lifetime’ to deport the

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New York City ICE Director Kenneth Genalo is “frustrated” with immigration policies and feels it would “take a lifetime” to deport thousands of migrant criminals in the sanctuary city.

“In New York City, it would take a lifetime to clear the city of the criminals that we have” if the status quo remains the same,” the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s NYC field office told the New York Post. “We need additional resources.”

“The fact is that I have to focus all of my resources on the worst of the worst, the most egregious violators. All I can tell you is we have leads that we work every day — and it’s not in the hundreds,” Genalo said, evidently implying the number is in the thousands.

He did not detail what he thought changes would look like as President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January and his newly named “border czar” Tom Homan moves ahead with the plan to deport thousands of illegal, criminal migrants.

“Of the nearly 7.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States, 662,586 are convicted felons or have criminal charges pending, the agency said of data through July 21,” The Post reported. “More than 223,000 migrants have poured into the Big Apple since the immigration crisis began in the spring of 2022 — and at least 58,000 are still being cared for by taxpayers in city-funded shelters. ICE did not provide the exact number of criminals among them.”

Genalo, who has spent more than three decades in federal law enforcement overseeing ICE, indicated his desire to speak before the far-left majority City Council and “educate” them about the damaging effects of sanctuary laws that prevent the deportation of illegal migrants committing crimes in the Big Apple.

“The only people they’re shielding are the criminals, and they’re shielding the criminals from us,” Genalo said.

“The majority of these crimes that are being committed are against the most vulnerable people in the community, and that’s the migrant females and the migrant children. I don’t understand how they believe sanctuary policies are helping or assisting,” he added.

The city has suffered the consequences of devastating laws protecting migrants since then-Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill in 2014 that effectively banned police from cooperating with federal immigration agents. In 2018, the policies were reinforced by de Blasio with NYPD protocols and guidance for how the city would continue to defy federal laws on illegal migrants.

Current Mayor Eric Adams has been unsuccessful in calling for a change in alerting ICE about illegal migrants arrested for criminal acts, calling the current laws “a detriment to public safety.”

“The mayor knows we need to cooperate,” Genalo said. “He sees what’s going on in New York City, and he wants help from the federal government.”

Earlier this year, Genalo explained to PIX 11 News the previous collaboration with local law enforcement and how that has changed due to sanctuary laws.

(Video Credit: PIX 11 News)

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.