N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James starts new effort to observe ICE activities
New York Attorney General Letitia James is starting a new effort to observe and document ICE activity in New York state.
It comes in the wake of federal activities in Minneapolis that have resulted in the deaths of two Americans, Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Both were shot dead by federal agents there.
James call the effort the Legal Observation Project, and says it will dispatch trained personnel to document Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities and related protests.
James' office says the observers "will serve as neutral witnesses on the ground, recording information that may inform future legal action."
"We have seen in Minnesota how quickly and tragically federal operations can escalate in the absence of transparency and accountability. My office is launching the Legal Observation Project to examine federal enforcement activity in New York and whether it remains within the bounds of the law," James said.
New Yorkers who observe ICE enforcement operations can also submit their videos to the attorney general's office online.
The move comes days after Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a plan to block state and local police from cooperating with ICE on civil operations. That proposal has stirred up controversy in Rockland County.
CBS News New York has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
The deaths of Pretti and Good has led to the DHS announcing that all federal personnel in Minnesota will wear body cameras.