En esta noticia
The mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, put into effect a rule that restricts the use of immigrants’ personal data by municipal agencies and blocks its transfer to federal immigration authorities. The measure requires each agency to designate a data protection officer and certify compliance with confidentiality rules.
This is Executive Order 13, signed on February 6, 2026 during the mayor’s annual Interfaith Breakfast. The rule reaffirms New York’s sanctuary city status and responds to the increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the metropolitan area.
What does the rule establish regarding immigrants’ data?
The order states that information municipal agencies collect for their own purposes must remain protected and cannot be shared with federal immigration authorities unless a law expressly requires it. Each agency had 14 days from the signing to appoint a privacy officer and train its staff.
A subsequent audit, presented in May 2026, detailed how these protections must be applied in practice:
- The Department of Social Services must review access protocols for city properties and lots.
- The Administration for Children’s Services must limit the use of immigration information from parents and caregivers in its reports.
- The Correction Department stopped sending the automatic daily report to ICE about people in custody, a practice in place since 2015.
Who does it affect and what changes in practice?
The measure benefits the nearly 412,000 undocumented immigrants who, according to estimates from the mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, live in the city. It also protects any New Yorker who uses municipal services such as health care, education or social assistance.
In practice, federal agents cannot enter city property —including hospitals, schools and shelters— without a court order. The New York Police Department must also log and report any 911 call linked to the presence of immigration authorities, with direct intervention from a senior commander on site.