Two laws have taken effect in New York that limit state police cooperation with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reports WPIX. One requires law enforcement agencies to terminate 287(g) agreements, which allow police to perform separate functions as immigration authorities under the supervision of ICE. The second prohibits housing ICE detainees in state facilities.
The Local Cops (Local Crimes Act) was passed as part of the state's fiscal year 2027 budget. Supporters, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, argue the new rules should protect immigrants from the Donald Trump administration and free local police to focus on fighting crime in their communities.
The New York Attorney General's Office issued subpoenas to law enforcement agencies that either did not confirm their willingness to terminate 287(g) agreements with ICE or provided “unsatisfactory” responses. These include the sheriff's departments of Broome, Steuben, Nassau and Rensselaer counties, as well as the Nassau County department.
Authorities in Broome and Rensselaer counties have already announced their intention to challenge the new requirements in court. Republican Bruce Blakeman, who leads Nassau County and is challenging Hochul in this year's gubernatorial election, has not said whether he will terminate the agreement with ICE.
“Starting today, ICE will no longer be able to use locally funded police to enforce the Trump Administration's aggressive immigration policies. To those who will sue us, to those who will try to block the entry into force of this law, I will say: our rules have already been approved in the courts,” Hokul said.
The second document, called the Dignity Not Detention Act, was passed to “end New York's participation in the immigration detention system.” The law came into force amid an increase in the number of arrests in New York: ICE detained 1,355 people in July, which is 79.7% more than in April, WPIX emphasizes.
“Our state has several local jails that hold New Yorkers in custody at the request of ICE, directly supporting the federal administration's efforts to forcibly detain our neighbors en masse, separate families from their communities, and deport them, often with little or no due process. With Dignity Not Detention going into effect, New York's participation in the immigration detention system will finally end,” said New York Senator Julia Salazar, who sponsored the bill.
