Twelve local law enforcement agencies across New York have been ordered to terminate their formal and informal 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to announcements from Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James. The directive marks the inaugural action taken by the Office of Immigrant Trust, a newly established division operating within the Attorney General’s Social Justice Division.
New Office Directs Twelve Agencies to Cease Agreements
The letters sent to the affected law enforcement bodies establish an August 25 deadline to conclude the cooperative arrangements. Affected counties identified in reports include Broome, Madison, Nassau, Rensselaer, and Steuben counties, with the Nassau County Police Department and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department explicitly named among those instructed to comply.
Legislative Foundation and Prohibitions
The mandate is rooted in a legislative package known as the Local Cops Local Crimes Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Hochul on May 27. The newly enacted statutes prohibit state and local employees from questioning individuals solely for immigration purposes unless mandated by a federal judicial warrant. Furthermore, government employees are barred from permitting ICE agents into sensitive locations such as schools, parks, and hospitals without a judicial warrant.
The legislation also explicitly outlaws the use of correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, and youth facilities to house federal civil immigration detainees. State officials emphasized that the legal restrictions do not prevent local law enforcement from collaborating with ICE on criminal matters.
In New York, we will not tolerate the diversion of local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement at the expense of public safety,
Gov. Hochul stated in a Spectrum News.
Reporting Requirements and Responses
Under the terms of the directive, the targeted law enforcement agencies are required to update the Office of Immigrant Trust by August 14 regarding the current status of their agreements, any ongoing activities tied to those pacts, and the specific steps taken to dissolve them. The newly formed office possesses the authority to issue subpoenas, interview witnesses, review records, receive complaints, and initiate civil actions.
The enforcement effort has drawn immediate pushback from local officials and federal authorities. In Nassau County, which deputized 10 officers to assist ICE and rents space at the county jail to the federal agency, County Executive Bruce Blakeman criticized the move. In a statement reported by Newsday, Blakeman said, Kathy Hochul is hell bent on making the communities of New York state less safe. Shame on her,
adding that attorneys for the police and sheriff’s departments were reviewing the letter.
Concurrently, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against New York state challenging the constitutionality of the new state laws that ban 287(g) agreements and restrict federal officers from wearing masks. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized the state’s approach in a Spectrum News, asserting that the policies regulate the federal government and create risks for federal agents.
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