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Outrage Erupts as Blue City Mayor Slams Police Over Border Patrol Controversy

March 28, 2025
by The Times Of America

Rochester, NY Mayor Rebukes Police for Assisting Border Patrol in Traffic Stop: ‘This is Against our Policy’

A routine police response to a call for backup has ignited controversy in Rochester, NY, where city leaders are condemning officers for assisting Border Patrol agents during a traffic stop. 

The dispute stems from a Monday incident in which Border Patrol agents stopped a van carrying an estimated eight individuals and requested emergency assistance. Officers from the Rochester Police Department (RPD) arrived with lights and sirens, ordered the occupants out and assisted in placing them in handcuffs, according to WHAM. 

While the reason for the stop was not immediately known, the officers’ actions quickly drew criticism from city officials.

Democratic Rochester Mayor Malik Evans addressed the situation in a press conference on Wednesday, condemning the police response. 

“The officers on the scene verbally directed the occupants to get out of the vehicle, and this is against our policy,” Evans stated. “Our policy is crystal clear.”

“City police officers do not help or participate in federal immigration activities.”

Evans said he personally instructed Police Chief David Smith to remind the entire department of the city’s directive prohibiting local police from engaging in immigration enforcement. Rochester, which has been a sanctuary city since 1986, reaffirmed its policy in 2017, restricting officers from enforcing federal immigration laws under General Order 501, according to the New York Post.

At the same press conference, Smith echoed the mayor’s concerns, criticizing both his own officers and the Border Patrol agents involved in the stop. 

“From watching the body-worn camera footage, what is concerning to me is despite the fact that we were called, we went lights and sirens,” Smith said. “I see in the video a total lack of urgency on the part of multiple Border Patrol officers at the scene.”

Smith further chastised the responding officers, stating, “We are not to be handcuffing subjects. We are not to be doing pat frisks on subjects, and we are absolutely not going to be detaining them or putting them into our cars.”

Smith also revealed that the supervisor initially canceled the emergency response, yet officers still proceeded to direct individuals out of the van and assisted in placing them in handcuffs.

The Rochester Police Locust Club, the department’s union, pushed back against city leaders’ criticisms, defending the officers’ response in a strongly worded statement.

“As with any law enforcement agency that indicates it has a critical situation in progress within the City of Rochester, officers responded under lights and sirens … expecting their fellow law enforcement officers to be in distress when they got there,” the union said.

According to the union, the van’s occupants were initially uncooperative with Border Patrol agents but complied when local police stepped in. 

“The officers on scene asked no questions of the occupants about their immigration status or relevant documents. No force was used … Once the scene was secured, that ended RPD’s involvement in the matter,” the statement continued.

Calling Evans’ comments “a complete overreaction,” the union stood by the officers’ decision to assist. 

“The Locust Club members who responded did absolutely nothing wrong, other than to answer a call for help from another agency.”

The union further defended the officers, stating that their actions were appropriate for any law enforcement request for assistance. 

“Law enforcement officers should not be condemned for responding to calls for help,” the union stated, adding that Rochester police “stepped up to support a lawful enforcement action” by federal agents. The statement warned against “politicizing routine police work,” arguing it puts officers and the public at risk. 

Due to the backlash local law enforcement officers face, state Senator Rob Ortt (R) is now pushing for legislation that would grant police more authority to assist federal immigration enforcement, even in sanctuary cities such as Rochester. Ortt is expected to outline his proposal on Friday at the Rochester Police Locust Club Union headquarters, WHEC reports.

The Republican Conference also voiced support for the officers, emphasizing that “no one is above the law — not even in a so-called sanctuary city.”

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