Governor Hochul held a closed-door meeting with Tom Homan, the Federal Border Affairs Czar, for nearly an hour at the State Capitol building on Friday, March 6th. Following the meeting, the governor issued a statement publicly stating that she had informed Homan in person that New York State does not accept the construction or expansion of large-scale detention centers by ICE within the state. She also reminded him that the President had promised her that without a request from the state government, the federal government would not significantly ramp up immigration enforcement actions in New York State without state consent.
“I met with Tom Homan today and made a clear plea to him: help us safeguard the safety of New York residents, cease the aggressive and unlawful actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in our state; stop militarized raids, halt the construction of large-scale detention centers, and cease attacks on law-abiding citizens who call New York home,” Hochul stated in her declaration. “President Trump has pledged that he will not strengthen federal immigration enforcement in New York unless we request it, and I made it clear to Homan today that we will never make such a request.”
The governor also mentioned that New York State will always cooperate with the federal immigration enforcement department to bring dangerous criminals to justice, but all law enforcement agencies operating in the state, whether federal or otherwise, must adhere to the same constitutional standards. Therefore, she proposed a legislative measure to prevent ICE from entering sensitive locations such as schools, medical facilities, and places of worship, protecting the constitutional rights of all residents of the state.
The meeting took place amidst the escalating controversy over federal immigration policies. Just the day before, President Trump abruptly replaced the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, due to criticism stemming from radical immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, for which Homan had been assigned to adjust related measures.
Hochul mentioned that discussions also included how federal immigration officials handle immigrants upon completion of their sentences in New York State prisons. She reiterated her desire to prohibit local jails, such as Nassau County Jail, from cooperating with ICE in detaining immigrants, although this legislation was not thoroughly discussed during the meeting. The governor stressed, “We do not want to see any large detention facilities in New York, nor do we want existing ones to expand.”
The recent case of a Burmese refugee in Buffalo who was abandoned on the streets and ultimately died after being released by federal authorities became a focal point of the meeting. Hochul met with the deceased’s widow and requested assistance from Homan in helping the family still in Myanmar obtain visas. She criticized federal law enforcement for “excessive power,” emphasizing that the state government will ensure residents’ constitutional rights are protected.
Prior to meeting with Hochul, Homan also discussed details of local cooperation with ICE with Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Sources revealed that Homan assured Republican lawmakers that the law enforcement controversy seen in Minnesota in January would not be repeated.
Under budget negotiation pressure, Hochul pledged to push forward legislation to codify statewide sanctuary policies into law and terminate the cooperative model between local and federal law enforcement. This move is seen as a direct response to the cooperation between Nassau County and ICE.
Homan had publicly stated in the state legislature last year, “New York State must change its sanctuary policies, or else, step aside, and we will do our job.” At that time, the current Mayor of New York City, Mamdani, who was still a state assemblyman, had a heated confrontation with Homan in the corridors of the legislature.
Homan’s two-day trip to New York State began on Thursday. It is reported that he held private meetings with Republican lawmakers at the state legislature and met with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on the same evening.