New York Law Bans Local Police Cooperation With ICE

The Local Cops Local Crimes Act took effect on August 25, 2026, prohibiting New York state and local law enforcement from maintaining 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The law bars local police from assisting in civil immigration enforcement or using local jails as federal holding facilities. Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, stated that local police should focus on local crime, though she clarified that officers will still assist ICE if a "real crime has been committed."

While 11 of 13 jurisdictions with formal cooperation agreements have agreed to wind them down, the law faces immediate resistance from GOP-leaning areas. Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin vowed to defy the mandate, and Cattaraugus County Sheriff Eric Butler joined 21 other sheriffs in a lawsuit against the state. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has also challenged the law, arguing that cooperation with ICE reduces crime. In response, the New York Attorney General's Office has issued subpoenas to Nassau County officials to ensure compliance.

Simultaneously, state officials are fighting federal efforts to expand detention infrastructure. Governor Hochul and a coalition of over 60 legislators are urging the federal government to block the conversion of a 42,377-square-foot warehouse in Newburgh into an ICE processing center. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for information regarding the Newburgh site or potential projects in Rochester and Batavia.