The de Blasio administration said on Tuesday that New York City would join a Justice Department program aimed at rooting out terrorist recruiting efforts in the nation’s cities, even though its tactics have raised concerns among some civil libertarians.
The decision to join the program, called the Strong Cities Network, had drawn scrutiny from American Muslim activists, the New York Civil Liberties Union and civil rights lawyers. More than a dozen groups urged Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, to reconsider New York’s participation, citing what they called an unfair focus on the activities of law-abiding American Muslims.
Aides to Mr. de Blasio spent days deliberating whether the city should take part. Ultimately, Mr. de Blasio decided to support the program at a United Nations forum on Tuesday, where the mayor spoke alongside the United States attorney general, Loretta E. Lynch.
Still, in his remarks, the mayor, who has promised to forge a more inclusive, tolerant New York, seemed aware of the concerns directed at his administration, and eager to rebut them. Speaking in soft tones, he described the Strong Cities program as fueled by “grass roots” efforts to be more tolerant of ethnic minorities. “When we undermine intolerance, we undermine extremism and violence,” Mr. de Blasio said.
The mayor said he believed the program could go “far beyond the work of law enforcement,” urging the creation of programs “to show people they are cared for.” And he cited his own administration’s efforts at outreach, including the designation of two Muslim holy days as citywide school holidays.
The Strong Cities Network is described by the Justice Department as a coalition among cities and communities to share information and training guides on stopping extremism; it will include grants for local initiatives and strategies to build resilience against terrorist recruiting.
Mr. de Blasio’s depiction of the program differed from the characterization offered by some activists, who, in a letter to the mayor this month, expressed concern that tactics used in some early adopting cities, like Boston and Los Angeles, had proved to be “divisive and counterproductive.”
“It’s very specific to violent extremism as it relates to Islam,” said Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab-American Association of New York. She voiced concern that New York would revive some of the counterterrorism practices of the Bloomberg administration, which involved the surveillance of mosques and city Muslim groups.
“Mayor de Blasio is doing great things, but when it comes to policing and police-community relations, he’s missing the ball,” Ms. Sarsour said.
Karen Hinton, Mr. de Blasio’s press secretary, said the mayor did not decide to participate in Tuesday’s event with Ms. Lynch until Monday evening. His speech at the United Nations was not initially listed on his public schedule for Tuesday. Aides to the mayor later informed reporters about the event after it was reported by Politico New York.
Ms. Hinton said that City Hall officials had previously met with activists to discuss their concerns. In a statement, she said the mayor would work with other municipal leaders to identify strategies to stop a variety of threats, not only international terrorism.