Dec. 3, 2025, 10:10 a.m.
An NYPD officer violated New York sanctuary city laws limiting the department’s assistance to federal immigration agencies by accepting e-mailed alerts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security flagging individuals facing deportation, a new Department of Investigation (DOI) report charges.
The officer ultimately kept the alerts within the NYPD and did not share information with the Homeland Security Investigations, according to the report, but the officer was removed from a federal task force because he did not notify his supervisor of the request to provide information to the feds.
In the report, released Wednesday, DOI revealed it looked at five interactions between the NYPD and agencies, including Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, that raised questions about whether the department had broken New York City laws that prohibit the NYPD from participating in civil immigration enforcement with limited exceptions.
The investigative agency determined that in four of the incidents, the department did not break the rules, but that in all the incidents, the NYPD “does not fully comply with documentation and reporting requirements” regarding interactions with their federal counterparts.
One of the incidents involved Merwil Gutierrez Flores, whose dealings with law enforcement were previously reported by THE CITY. In February, the NYPD transferred Gutierrez into FBI custody after Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark decided not to prosecute him on weapons charges. DOI found that the department did not violate NYPD policies or local laws because the FBI told the police department that federal prosecutors were considering bringing charges.
DOI made seven recommendations advising NYPD to tighten up its reporting and documentation protocols. The NYPD accepted all seven.
This press release was produced by The City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.