NEW YORK (AP) — New York's attorney general announced plans to deploy legal observers to monitor federal immigration enforcement efforts in the state.

The initiative will send observers, wearing purple security vests, to areas where immigration activity is reported to gather information “that can serve as a basis for future legal actions,” said Attorney General Letitia James.

Tensions remain high across the country due to the aggressive immigration campaign. of President Donald Trump, especially after the shooting deaths of two American citizens at the hands of federal agents in Minnesota. Videos of agents making arrests of migrants across the territory have drawn criticism for their aggressive tactics, and have often gone viral online.

“I am proud to protect the constitutional rights of New Yorkers to speak freely, protest peacefully, and live their lives without fear of unlawful federal action,” James, who is a Democrat, said in a statement.

“We have seen in Minnesota how quickly and tragically federal operations can escalate in the absence of transparency and accountability,” she added.

James noted that observers from his office will serve as “neutral witnesses” who will identify violations of the law, but will not interfere. He also asked New Yorkers to send videos of the immigration raids to his office for review.

For her part, the governor of New York, also a Democrat, Kathy Hochul, said that this year she will promote legislation that allows citizens to sue federal agents “when they act outside the scope of their duties,” in addition to a proposal to keep immigration agents away from schools, hospitals and places of worship unless they have a court order.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of an artificial intelligence tool. generative.