Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed that not asking about one’s immigration status is part of the necessary steps to “keep people safe,” adding that his argument is backed up by leaders in the New York City Police Department.

President Donald Trump has granted deportation powers to a variety of federal law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, aiming to fulfill his campaign promise of mass deportations of illegal immigrants across the nation. De Blasio, who was mayor of New York City during Trump’s first term, said in an interview that states and localities can work to resist Trump’s deportation plans, arguing it is within their power to “govern our own affairs.”