New York law banning local police from helping ICE goes into effect

A New York law barring local police from helping federal agents carry out civil immigration operations took effect on Tuesday, after passing earlier this year under the state’s budget. Local police need to focus on local crime, not aiding and abetting an out-of-control federal agency, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a Tuesday press conference.

Hochul underscored the difference between migrants with what she characterized as real criminal charges and migrants with civil infractions. New York supported Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s past operations against criminals, but the state will not allow local police to continue being converted into ICE agents to carry out federal civil enforcement, she said.

The law only applied to civil immigration matters, meaning local police would continue supporting ICE in criminal immigration operations. New York will never be a sanctuary for criminals, and state police will support ICE only when a real crime has been committed, Hochul said. Any police or sheriff departments that continued supporting ICE’s civil operations would face legal action, she said. Hochul said she welcomed any legal challenges, noting that courts have already ruled to uphold the law.

The New York Immigration Coalition released a Tuesday statement celebrating the law’s enforcement. Every resident deserved to feel safe interacting with police without fearing that their immigration status may be reported to authorities, according to the coalition’s president, Murad Awawdeh. This life-saving law sends a powerful message that New York will not be an extension of the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda, Awawdeh added.

How is ICE responding? WORLD reached out to ICE for comment. This story will be updated with any response received. Critics of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions like White House Border Czar Tom Homan have frequently argued that their lack of cooperation with immigration enforcement operations have threatened public safety, leading to an uptick in violent crime and sexual assaults.