EAST VILLAGE — New York City would fight any efforts from the administration of President-elect Donald Trump to deport undocumented immigrants, force Muslims to be registered or to practice stop-and-frisk unconstitutionally, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday during a speech at Cooper Union.
"If all Muslims are required to register, we will take legal action to block it," de Blasio said about the idea floating around the Trump administration that Muslims entering the country may be forced onto a registry.
"If the Justice Department orders local police to resume stop-and-frisk, we will not comply," the mayor added, critiquing Trump's remarks during the campaign that stop-and-frisk was a good tool to help restore "law and order."
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Though a looming Trump presidency and fears associated with some of his proposed policies were the main focus of de Blasio's hour-long speech at the Great Hall, the mayor mentioned the president-elect by name only once.
Instead, de Blasio sounded as if he was giving a campaign speech. The mayor kicked off his campaign for re-election in 2017 last week with three union endorsements, but has not unveiled a campaign slogan. But de Blasio's repeated chants of "We are always New York," in English and Spanish, sounded like a contender.
"The results of an election don't change who we are," de Blasio said.
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The mayor, who earlier sought to lead an unsuccessful movement to push Democrats toward more progressive positions, has become one face of Democrats vying to assuage fears that a Trump Administration will usher in policies that discriminate against immigrants, women and minorities.
De Blasio met with Trump at the president-elect's transition headquarters at Trump Tower last week and says he told Trump that New Yorkers are fearful about what he would do as president.
"My essential message to him was to remember where you come from," de Blasio said of his conversation with Trump.
The election and Trump's inauguration dovetail with the start of de Blasio's re-election effort, and the mayor has mentioned Trump proposals such as the loss of Obamacare and anti-union policies at both of his endorsement speeches last week.
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"I don't want to sugarcoat the situation. It’s important to say out loud — there’s a lot of fear out there," said de Blasio.
Kenneth Sherrill, professor emeritus of political science at Hunter College, said he's not surprised to see de Blasio moving in this direction.
"This is one of the cases where good politics and good government may come together. He's seen this opportunity and he took it," said Sherrill. "In the larger political scenario, de Blasio is right, he has nothing much to lose and much to gain."
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The mayor urged residents to stand with other New Yorkers who are Muslims, undocumented immigrants, African-Americans and women by doing things like donating to Planned Parenthood and registering for the IDNYC program which provides identifications regardless of immigration status, and reporting hate crimes.
"To all the African Americans who heard their history denied — we stand by you. To all the women who heard their rights being threatened — we stand by you. To all the Muslims who have heard their faith belittled — we stand by you," the mayor said, adding in the Jewish and LGBT community. "To all of you — we will protect you. This is your home."
Dr. Sumer Samhoury, 38, is a Muslim and physical therapist who lives on Staten Island. She said the mayor's speech was reassuring, especially after her kids were afraid that she would get attacked or that some would pull off her hijab.
"It spoke of tolerance," Samhoury said of the speech. "And it definitely gives me a little more confidence when walking the streets of New York."
