Since Pride Month in June, the New York City Police Department has cracked down on “cruising” (public sex) in Penn Station using gay Hookup apps like Sniffies. Some queer community members are alarmed and argue such crack downs are unethical and unjustly targeting of LGBTQ+ people. Immigrant justice advocates are also concerned because these arrests have led to 20 men being taken into ICE custody. Although New York state and city laws ban the NYPD from turning over people in their custody to ICE, Amtrak is a federal agency, and thus they are not beholden to such laws. Spicy plot twist: one man who was allegedly found masturbating with other men in a bathroom in Penn Station during these recent busts is himself an officer in the NYPD. He has since been suspended from his job, though his case has been dropped.
Tea Room Crackdowns as a New Tool for ICE?
