ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul has introduced the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, a landmark bill that would outlaw state and local police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for civil enforcement. The proposal, announced alongside top state law enforcement officials, aims to prevent local resources from being “weaponized” for federal deportation efforts.
A Clash of Jurisdictions The Governor’s legislative push comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ramps up its presence in New York. On January 8, 2026, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Operation Salvo, a federal initiative targeting the Trinitarios gang that has already resulted in 54 arrests, 30 of whom were immediately deported. Hochul blasted the agency, calling it a “rogue federal agency” and describing the federal crackdown as “dangerous federal overreach”.
Conversely, federal officials and local Republican leaders, such as Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, argue that these partnerships are essential for public safety. Blakeman noted that recent local cooperation helped remove migrants with records for attempted murder and robbery, stating that Hochul’s bill appeals to the “lunatic fringe” of her party.
Expanding Sanctuary Protections If passed, the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act would:
- Prohibit ICE from using local detention centers for civil enforcement and mass raids.
- Codify an expanded list of “sanctuary places” where agents cannot enter without a warrant, including schools, houses of worship, and private homes.
- Join New York with seven other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, that already ban similar agreements.
This state-level resistance mirrors the New York for All Act, another proposed bill that would broadly prohibit state officers from funneling people into ICE custody or sharing sensitive information with federal agents.
Local Cooperation and Controversy The debate is fueled by high-profile instances of local cooperation. In the Village of Spencer, documents revealed that Police Chief Michael Monteiro played an active role in planning a February operation that handed at least 11 people over to ICE. Meanwhile, in Nassau County, over 1,400 immigrants have been held in local jails under a 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement, sparking lawsuits from civil rights groups who claim such deals erode community trust.
Advocates argue that this cooperation is often directed at individuals without serious records. An analysis by Documented found that 60% of ICE arrests in New York involve immigrants with no criminal record, the highest proportion of any state in the nation.
Legal and Financial Hurdles The battle also extends to the courts and the state budget. Civil rights groups recently filed an amicus brief defending New York’s Green Light Law, which allows residents to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of status while limiting DMV data access for federal agencies.
Additionally, legal advocates are criticizing the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget, which allocated $64.2 million for immigration legal services. The Vera Institute and other coalition members argue this falls “significantly short” of the $165 million needed to protect New Yorkers facing the administration’s “unprecedented mass deportation and detention agenda”.
As the state legislature considers these bans, the divide between Albany and Washington continues to grow. “Public safety must be pursued lawfully, transparently and with humanity,” Hochul stated, “and yet these very principles have been abandoned by our federal government”.
