New York Rep. Pat Ryan is being taunted as “Sanctuary Pat” years after the Democrat issued a local order that blocked cooperation with federal immigration officials during the Trump administration.
The Hudson Valley politician was serving as Ulster County executive in 2019 when he signed an executive order that banned county law enforcement and other workers from sharing certain information with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Patrol unless their request came with a court order.
Ryan is the latest Democratic official forced to answer for politically charged pro-migrant policies that came at a time when liberals were pushing against what was viewed as a hard-line deportation policy from then-President Donald Trump.
But as Ryan seeks reelection in the swing 18th District, the executive order could be unpopular among voters turned off by the massive border crossings under the Harris-Biden administration that has triggered a migrant crisis in New York.
“Under Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Sanctuary Pat Ryan, every town has become a border town,” Republican opponent Alison Esposito’s campaign said in a statement.
“Here in the Hudson Valley, thousands of miles away from our Southern border, migrant crime has rocked our communities,” the statement went on.
“Not only has Pat Ryan refused to act to make our communities safer, he proudly supports the open border and sanctuary policies that have made our lives less safe.”
Esposito, a former NYPD deputy inspector who ran as the 2022 GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, accused Ryan of being soft on illegal immigration and created a taunting website called “Sanctuary Pat.”
Ryan’s June 26, 2019 executive order said, “No officer or employee of any county department including law enforcement officers shall disclose information to federal immigration authorities for the purpose of federal civil immigration enforcement, unless required by law.”
“Absent a lawfully issued judicial warrant, no officer or employee of any county department shall provide ICE or CBP with access to an individual in their custody, or the use of office facilities to question or interview such individuals if ICE’s or CBP’s sole purpose is enforcement of federal immigration law.”
Ryan railed against anticipated “mass deportation raids“ and “xenophobia” when announcing the executive order.
“We are a nation of immigrants ….in Ulster County, we know that compassion, respect and justice are the proper pathways to a stronger and healthier community,” he said.
“This Executive Order ensures that we all continue to uphold those values in order to ensure that all residents are treated equally and with the respect and legal protections they deserve, regardless of their immigration status.”
Ryan’s campaign on Wednesday defended his record on border security.
“Pat has the strongest record on border security in this race,” Ryan spokesman Sam Silverman said.
“Pat led a bipartisan effort with Congressmen [Mike] Lawler and [Marc] Molinaro calling on President Biden to declare a state of emergency in New York in response to the migrant crisis, was one of only 15 Democrats to demand President Biden take executive action to restore order at the border, and has gotten multiple pieces of border legislation signed into law, including the `Securing America’s Borders Against Fentanyl Act and the `Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act.
“Unfortunately, this is an uncomfortable reality for Alison, who opposed the strongest border security legislation in decades, so she’s desperately searching for any opportunity to score cheap political points to salvage her failing campaign,” Silverman said, referring to a stalled border security bill backed by Biden and Democrats and blocked by Republicans earlier this year.
“Alison can spend her time politicizing the border; Pat is doing the actual work to fix it.”
