Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a new bill into law Tuesday that limits the city’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities on Rikers Island. The law will prevent the Department of Corrections from turning over immigrants with no criminal convictions upon their release, who are not known gang members or who are not on the terror watch list to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said it was an historic day for the city and immigrant communities in New York. “We are sending a strong and unified message that this city will no longer allow innocent immigrants who pose no threat to be unfairly detained and deported due to an antiquated immigration system,” she said in a joint statement with council members Daniel Dromm and Melissa Mark-Viverito. – WNYC 11.22.2011

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