Special master screens records before ICE receives names
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Friday that New York City must send names, birth dates and related records concerning some male residents at a Bronx homeless shelter to a court-appointed special master. The Wall Street Journal reported the ruling on Nov. 9 and characterized the outcome as Kaplan having “sided with the Trump administration.”
Under the order, New York City must hand the names, birth dates and other related records to the special master rather than directly to ICE. The special master will screen the records and provide ICE with names of individuals residing at the shelter who have a history of serious crimes, such as murder, manslaughter and rape.
ICE first issued a subpoena in August 2025 seeking the names and birth dates of all men living in the shelter as part of an investigation examining whether any residents were subject to deportation.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration had been fighting ICE’s efforts and called the request a fishing expedition that would undermine New York City’s sanctuary city laws. The administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kaplan said New York City was required to comply with the subpoena unless it showed the subpoena was issued in bad faith, for improper purposes, or that compliance would be unreasonably burdensome.
“The city has not shown that producing this list would be unduly burdensome,” Kaplan said in his order.
Kaplan noted that ICE had agreed to use the special master to screen for records relevant to the agency’s investigation.
“The court thus concludes the subpoena concerns a matter which is material and relevant to the enforcement of the federal immigration laws,” he said.