Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced Wednesday that the county will technically comply with a new state law that prohibits municipal cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, went into effect Tuesday.
Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor, stated that while his administration has reviewed the law and concluded it must "abide by the law," he intends to pursue legal avenues to challenge it. He plans to have Nassau County join a federal lawsuit filed by sheriffs from 15 other New York counties. This lawsuit argues that the new law is unconstitutional and infringes on local officials' ability to make public safety decisions.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and Sheriff Kyle Bourgault are leading the legal challenge. Their county is the only remaining municipality that had not yet complied with the state's order to end its ICE agreement.
Gov. Hochul's administration has threatened legal action against any counties that do not comply with the mandate to unwind their so-called 287g agreements. "As the governor has said from the start, counties do not get to pick and choose what laws they follow," said Alexia Nizhny, a spokesperson for Hochul. "Compliance will ensure that we are able to protect the rights of New Yorkers, keep local cops focused on local crimes, and make communities safer."
Blakeman criticized the law, calling it "very, very bad and dangerous" and warning it would lead to increased crime. "Going forward, every murder, every rape, every robbery, every burglary, every drug overdose, committed by an illegal migrant, is on the hands of Kathy Hochul and the Democrats in our state legislature," Blakeman stated.
The package of anti-ICE measures, which includes restrictions on informal collaboration between local law enforcement and immigration authorities, was pushed by Hochul following public backlash against Trump administration immigration enforcement efforts.
A spokesperson for State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is responsible for enforcing the new policies, confirmed that Nassau's termination notice had not yet been received as of Wednesday afternoon.