S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Arrest-To-Deportation Pipeline

S.T.O.P. condemns NYPD for collaborating with federal officials to arrest and deport two New Yorkers to El Salvador.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Arrest-To-Deportation Pipeline (New York, NY 5/16/2025) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the NYPD for operating an “arrest-to-deportation pipeline” after it collaborated with federal officials to arrest and deport two New Yorkers to El Salvador. Reporting from The City revealed NYPD collaborated with the FBI after arresting 19-year-old Venezuelan immigrant Merwil Gutiérrez Flores on gun charges that were later dropped, leading to his deportation by ICE to El Salvador’s brutal mega-prison. S.T.O.P. condemned the NYPD policy of supporting immigration enforcement, noting that the Trump Administration blurred an already ambiguous line between criminal and civil immigration enforcement. SEE: The City - Arrested by the NYPD but Not Prosecuted, They’re Now Imprisoned in El Salvador https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/05/16/merwil-gutierrez-flores-nypd-fbi-ice-cecot-task-forces/ "NYPD Taskforces have always been a loophole large enough to deport someone through, but increasingly we see the ways these can be abused,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn.  "We cannot both be a sanctuary city and a partner for the Trump Administration. The NYPD’s deportation spin simply isn’t credible. As protected speech and political dissent are increasingly criminalized, there is often no real difference between civil and criminal immigration enforcement. Whatever label city officials put on this collaboration, it’s clearly just wrong.” In November, S.T.O.P. released Deportation Data Centers: How Fusion Centers Circumvent Sanctuary City Laws, a report detailing how Department Of Homeland Security-backed fusion centers drive deportation by enabling ICE to coopt local police data. The civil rights group is an advocate of the New York For All Act, which would prohibit New York’s state and local government agencies from colluding with ICE, disclosing data, and diverting resources to further federal immigration enforcement.  SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Report Details Local Police Deportation Data Partnerships With ICE https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2024/11/19/stop-report-details-local-police-deportation-data-partnerships-with-ice?rq=deportation%20data New York State Senate - Bill S987 https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S987 The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   -- END -- Copyright © 2025 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.