NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that New York City will go to court if necessary to stop President Donald Trump from deploying federal officers in the city like he did in Portland.
De Blasio said the deployment of federal officers to the city "can only make things worse" and that the city will move to stop an "unlawful intrusion."
"That is dangerous, dangerous thinking and it threatens the core values of this country," the mayor said. "It is not about keeping our city safe, or any of these cities safe, because it's actually making the situation worse and more chaotic and more violent."
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De Blasio said he had sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr and acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf "making clear formally that the presence of these federal officers is not welcomed here in New York City and is not needed here."
Earlier this week, Trump threatened to send federal law enforcement to New York amid protests and a spike in shootings.
"I know New York very well. I know the police very well—New York's Finest. And the fact is they're restricted from doing anything. They can't do anything," the president said, adding, "We're going to have more federal law enforcement—that, I can tell you."
De Blasio said the threat to deploy federal agents to more cities in addition to Portland was about "politics" and was a "photo-op" for the president.
"We will not be intimidated, and if we see these federal officers on our streets, then we will see the Trump administration in court to stop it from happening," de Blasio said.
James Johnson, the city's top lawyer, said he has "been in touch with my counterparts in other cities and we are prepared and preparing to attack this in a coordinated way."
"New York City is the safest big city in the United States," Johnson said. "We will continue to keep it that way and we will challenge this in court."
