On August 26th, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced that Nassau County, New York, will comply with the new law, the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” which went into effect on August 25th, prohibiting local police, sheriffs’ offices, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cooperation agreements.
Blakeman stated during a press conference, “We have examined this law with the county prosecutor and explored all possible ways to circumvent it. However, the ultimate conclusion is that we must comply with this law.”
He mentioned that the county attorney has notified ICE of Nassau County’s intention to follow state law. Despite this, Blakeman expressed his reluctance, saying, “As county executive, this is one of the saddest days of my life, as we are forced to comply with this terrible law, knowing it will make Nassau County more dangerous.”
Governor Hochul of New York stated that the measure aims to have local law enforcement focus on combating local crimes rather than assisting federal immigration authorities.
Attorney General James sent subpoenas to the Nassau County Police Department and sheriffs’ offices on the 25th for failing to confirm the termination of the ICE agreement, and the following day, Nassau County announced its compliance with the law. On the day the new law took effect, fifteen county sheriffs in New York filed a lawsuit at the Albany Federal District Court challenging the state’s prohibition of local law enforcement agencies from signing cooperation agreements with federal immigration authorities.