UMVA has learned that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and a coalition of New York sheriffs are preparing to sue Governor Kathy Hochul over her aggressive plan to outlaw local cooperation agreements with ICE.
The governor’s budget proposal for 2027 seeks to erase 287(g) partnerships, bar ICE from schools, hospitals and churches, and dismantle informal collaborations that, according to law‑enforcement officials, keep communities safer.
Blakeman, who is also the Republican gubernatorial nominee, told reporters that sheriffs from across the state have voiced fury, describing the proposal as a direct attack on their ability to enforce federal law.
“Kathy Hochul can make my day, because as far as I’m concerned, we’re enforcing federal law in Nassau County, and a lot of the sheriffs throughout the state feel the same way,” he said, adding that many are “mad as hell.”
One of the most vocal opponents is Todd Hood, sheriff of Madison County and Blakeman’s running mate, whose jurisdiction signed a 287(g) pact with ICE last July.
“I have sheriffs from all over the state contacting me, and they are all very upset,” Hood explained. “Almost all of them disagree. There are very few sheriffs who are on board.”
Under a 287(g) agreement, local officers can hand over custody of undocumented detainees to ICE, allowing federal agents to take them directly from jail instead of hunting them down after release.
Hood praised the program as “absolutely amazing,” noting that it prevents officers from having to storm homes and streamlines the removal of individuals deemed criminal.
New York currently maintains 14 active 287(g) agreements spanning nine counties, a network that officials say has transferred roughly 3,200 undocumented arrests to ICE since Nassau County joined the program in early 2025.
Supporters argue the system works: “These people are criminals,” Hood said. “They’re arrested, they go to our jail, and within about 40 minutes they’re headed to the center. It’s safe and effective, and we work together in law enforcement—that’s our job.”
Recent incidents underscore the stakes. After an illegal immigrant set fire to ten cars in Freeport, the suspect was released on bail‑ineligible charges, only to be seized by ICE agents at a later court hearing thanks to the county’s cooperation.
Hood warned that the governor’s crackdown would fracture the coordinated response that proved vital during large‑scale operations like the Minnesota “Metro Surge,” where local police were absent from federal enforcement actions.
“Those local police should have been behind those agents, even if they weren’t doing the actual immigration work,” he argued. “Their absence was a massive failure, and it won’t happen under a new administration that respects our partnerships.”
