Forms New Office of Immigration Trust
By Hank Russell
Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James sent letters to 12 local law enforcement agencies ordering them to end their 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) effective August 25 under the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act. Two of the agencies that received letters include the Nassau County Police Department and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
In the letter, the state is requiring these agencies to “submit information to our office” by August 14 “regarding the status of your Section 287(g) agreement, including any ongoing activities pursuant to that agreement and steps you have taken to comply with the termination requirement.”
As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman entered into an agreement with ICE in which the NCPD and the county sheriff’s office would work together with the agency. Blakeman pointed out that, since the agreement with ICE and through the coordination of the Nassau County Police Department and the county Sheriff’s Department, more than 2,000 criminal illegal aliens were arrested. Among the crimes they were arrested for were attempted rape, attempted murder, rape, carjacking, drug dealing and gang activity.
Hochul said that such agreements erode trust between immigrant communities and local institutions, and make residents less likely to report crimes, seek help, or cooperate with law enforcement. She pointed out that the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act prohibits local governments and law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements with ICE and ensures that local law enforcement resources are directed toward local public safety priorities, rather than “the federal government’s mass deportation agenda.”
“Nobody is above the law. In New York, we will not tolerate the diversion of local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement at the expense of public safety,” Hochul said. “That is why we passed a commonsense set of laws standing up against federal overreach and ensuring that local law enforcement are not deputized by the highest funded law enforcement agency in the country,” said Governor Hochul. “My top priority is keeping New Yorkers safe. Ensuring our law enforcement remains focused on local crimes is essential to protecting our communities and maintaining public safety.”
LILP reached out to Blakeman’s office for comment. “The lawyers for our Police Department and Sheriff’s Department are reviewing the law and the Attorney General’s letter and we will have a written response by August 14th,” he said. “Kathy Hochul is hell bent on making the communities of New York State less safe. Shame on her.”
Hochul and James also announced that the state is launching a new Office of Immigrant Trust (OIT), a statewide bureau within the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). Created as part of a legislative package signed by Hochul on May 27, OIT will enforce state laws that protect immigrant communities, strengthen public trust, and limit the use of state and local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement. As part of its duties, the OIT will receive complaints, provide guidance to state and local agencies, conduct investigations, and take legal action when necessary to ensure compliance with state law.
“New York is strongest when every community is able to trust the institutions meant to serve them,” James said. “The Office of Immigrant Trust will help ensure that schools, local governments, and public agencies remain places of safety and support, rather than agents of the federal administration’s campaign of fear and intimidation. My office is proud to stand up for immigrant New Yorkers and prepared to hold anyone who violates our laws accountable.”