Audit: ICE Entered City Buildings

Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a city audit on May 22 that found federal immigration authorities repeatedly entered or sought access to New York City facilities, including shelters, hospitals and probation offices, as agencies struggled with uneven protocols for handling those encounters. The 19-page report, issued under Executive Order 13, reviewed practices at the Administration for Children’s Services, the Department of Correction, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Probation, the Department of Social Services, the New York Police Department and NYC Health + Hospitals. City Hall said the agencies will now adopt new procedures and training to tighten compliance with local sanctuary laws. The audit lands as federal immigration enforcement has accelerated in New York. City Hall said ICE arrested 5,567 people in the New York City area between Jan. 20, 2025, and March 10, 2026, a 71% increase from the same span at the end of the prior administration. More than half of those arrests took place at immigration court in Manhattan, according to the report. (nyc.gov) ### Which city sites did federal agents show up at? The mayor’s office said the audit found intensified targeting of city shelters, alongside interactions involving hospitals and other city agencies. The agencies covered by the review included NYC Health + Hospitals and the Department of Probation, and Executive Order 13 specifically barred non-local law enforcement from entering non-public areas of city property without a judicial warrant except in narrow circumstances. (nyc.gov) Documented and other local outlets described incidents cited in or surrounding the audit: in February 2025, seven masked and armed ICE agents pushed past shelter staff to detain a resident; in another case, agents asked to use a bathroom at a probation office and then tried to inspect a sign-in book; in June 2025, Homeland Security officers misrepresented themselves as Fire Department personnel. Gothamist previously reported federal immigration officers visited city shelters at least 23 times between January and May 2025 after no such appearances in 2024. (nyc.gov) ### What did the audit say agencies were doing wrong? The report said city laws and agency protocols had “largely worked as intended,” but City Hall also identified gaps in training, record-keeping and access procedures that left room for improper entry or information-sharing. The Department of Social Services will revise protocols for access to city property and lots, while other agencies were told to update written guidance and staff training. (documentedny.com) The Department of Correction drew the sharpest corrective action. City Hall said the audit found DOC had been sending daily reports to ICE on the national origin of certain noncitizens in custody since at least 2015, a practice the administration said was not required by federal, state or local law and would be discontinued. The report also said DOC received 895 civil immigration detainer requests in 2025, up more than 120% from the previous year, and responded in 24 cases by notifying federal authorities of release times and facilitating transfer where city law allowed. (nyc.gov) ### How does this fit with New York City’s sanctuary rules? Executive Order 13, signed on Feb. 6, 2026, reaffirmed that federal authorities may not enter non-public areas of city property without a judicial warrant, except when city personnel authorize entry or an emergency exists. The order also created an Interagency Response Committee and directed agencies to audit their interactions with federal immigration authorities. (amny.com) The city’s sanctuary framework is meant to limit cooperation with civil immigration enforcement and protect residents seeking services. In the executive order, Mamdani said aggressive federal tactics can deter New Yorkers from accessing medical care, reporting crimes and using city services. Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Faiza N. Ali said the audit’s recommendations would help ensure New Yorkers can “safely access the City services they deserve.” (nyc.gov) ### What changes will happen now? Seven agencies will adopt recommendations from the audit in the coming months, according to City Hall. The Department of Probation will limit the inclusion of immigration-status information in presentencing reports, and the Administration for Children’s Services will review court reports for improper references to immigration status, City & State reported. (nyc.gov) New York City Public Schools also began a separate internal review outside the formal audit process, the mayor’s office said. The next step is implementation: City Hall said agencies will update protocols governing interactions with federal immigration agents and strengthen protections for immigrant New Yorkers under Executive Order 13. (nyc.gov) (cityandstateny.com)