The Brooklyn district attorney is taking steps to prevent undocumented immigrants from being deported over low-level offenses.

Acting DA Eric Gonzalez announced a new policy requiring prosecutors to take a defendant's immigration status into consideration when offering plea deals and making sentencing recommendations.

Gonzalez says he also hired two attorneys to train his staff on dealing with immigration issues and advise them on cases of non-citizens.

The DA says the policy was created to ensure people are not being unfairly punished.

"We don't ask people when they come in to the criminal justice system whether they're documented or undocumented. So the policy really takes a look at all misdemeanor cases that are considered low-level offenses to see whether or not there's a collateral consequence that can be avoided," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez is serving out the term of late Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson.

He is expected to join a crowded field in the race for a full term this year.