Gov. Hochul on Friday said she is pushing for a law to stop local police officers from being deputized to help ICE agents in immigration actions, slamming the beleaguered agency for “unspeakable acts of violence.”
“We are called to act in this moment of tyranny,” Hochul said at a press conference in Midtown. “This is about a rogue federal agency that’s been unleashed on American streets with the sole purpose of creating chaos, carnage, and fear.”
The proposed law — the “Local Cops Local Crimes Act” — would not change the practice in to New York City, where the NYPD by policy only helps the feds when they are looking for dangerous criminals — not migrants wanted only for immigration violations. But it would have a significant impact on Long Island, where Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman hammered out an agreement with ICE last year.
If the legislature passes the law, it would void current agreements between ICE and counties in New York, including Nassau County, where cops are allowed to check the immigration status of people already arrested and keep suspected immigration violators in custody longer, Hochul said.
Blakeman is currently running against Hochul for governor, but Hochul said this decision has “nothing to do with who is running for office.”
“It’s the right thing to do in this moment,” she said.
ICE has been under fire for its tactics, with outrage across the nation growing after agents in Minneapolis shot dead Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
Hochul said the legislation would ensure that officers stick to their core mission — crime-fighting. The law would also prevent ICE from using local jails to detain those its agents take into custody.
The proposed legislation, she stressed, does not mean local cops will stop helping ICE track down dangerous criminals.
“We’ll always cooperate with the federal government to bring violent criminals to justice,” Hochul said. “Full stop, That’s not a change in policy.
“However, it does not mean that New York State will stand for flagrant abuse of power under the guise of public safety.”
Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch speaks at a press conference with Gov. Kathy Hochul in Manhattan on Friday. (Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said local law enforcement “should not be turned into federal immigration agents or pushed into responsibilities that undercut effective local policing.”
Hochul’s move was blasted by DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.
“Governor Hochul would make New Yorkers less safe as a direct result of this policy,” McLaughlin said. “Our partnerships with state and local law enforcement are key to removing criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from American communities.
“When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with us, that is when we have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities.”
