Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James mandate 12 New York law enforcement agencies to end federal immigration cooperation by August 25.

Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James announced that 12 local law enforcement agencies in New York must terminate their 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by August 25. The move follows the creation of the Office of Immigrant Trust, a new state entity designed to limit local involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement. The administration announced that the new state law, the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, prohibits local agencies from being deputized by the federal government for civil immigration tasks. It also prevents local jails and juvenile detention centers from housing federal civil immigration detainees. Governor Kathy Hochul stated that the law prevents the diversion of local resources for federal tasks at the expense of public safety. Attorney General Letitia James noted that the Office of Immigrant Trust aims to ensure public agencies remain places of safety rather than agents of the federal administration’s campaign of fear and intimidation. While the Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of these laws, the state intends to hold any agency that continues to cooperate with ICE accountable.

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