Hochul moves to ban ICE collaboration contracts for NY police

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has thrown her support behind a new proposal that if enacted would outlaw formal agreements between New York localities and Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allow for local police to be deputized as ICE agents.

While flanked by law enforcement on Friday at a press conference, Hochul proposed outlawing the formal agreements known as 287(g) agreements, which allow for local New York police departments to work with ICE by allowing local officers to be deputized along with ICE for immigration enforcement.

The governor's office stated that the move, if put into action, will "prohibit local law enforcement from being deputized by ICE for federal civil immigration enforcement."

“Over the last year federal immigration agents have carried out unspeakable acts of violence against Americans under the guise of public safety. These abuses – and the weaponization of local police officers for civil immigration enforcement – will not stand in New York,” Governor Hochul said. “Today, I’m announcing new actions that will safeguard our communities against dangerous federal overreach and ensure that New York law enforcement is focused on keeping New Yorkers safe – not doing the job of ICE.”

Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani cheered the action from Hochul, posting to X, "Masked federal agents are terrorizing our communities. Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul, today New York took a step toward ending local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE. We cannot be complicit in their cruelty.”

The move from Hochul comes as the Trump administration is facing some headwinds on the topic of immigration after the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The anti-ICE agitator was resisting arrest and was armed when he was clashing with Border Patrol agents in Minnesota.

The shooting took place, however, after he appeared to be disarmed by one of the agents. Authorities have said the gun removed from Pretti may have fired off an errant gunshot, leading the officers to fire their weapons. Additionally, one of the officers yelled that Pretti had a gun during the incident right before the shots were fired.