Legal Observers To Monitor Federal Immigration Agents in New York

New York’s attorney general announced plans Tuesday to deploy legal observers to monitor federal immigration enforcement actions in the state. 

The initiative will send observers, who will wear purple safety vests, to areas of reported immigration enforcement activity to collect information “that may inform future legal action,” according to Attorney General Letitia James.

Tensions remain high nationwide over President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration



crackdown, particularly following the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents in Minnesota. 

Videos of agents conducting immigration arrests throughout the country have drawn criticism over heavy-handed tactics, often going viral online. 

In a statement, James, a Democrat, said she is “proud to protect New Yorkers’ constitutional rights to speak freely, protest peacefully, and go about their lives without fear of unlawful federal action.”