In a dramatic pivot from her previous moderate stance on immigration, Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed the "Local Cops, Local Crimes Act" — legislation that would ban all formal cooperation agreements between New York law enforcement and ICE. The bill would void existing 287(g) agreements that allow local police to act as federal immigration agents, prohibit ICE from using local jails for civil enforcement, and bar mass raids from local detention facilities. It's a direct challenge to the Trump administration's aggressive deportation agenda.

Currently, 14 New York law enforcement agencies across 9 counties have 287(g) agreements with ICE, allowing local officers to serve as federal immigration enforcers. Hochul's bill would void all of these agreements and prevent any new ones from being signed through at least July 2029. The Governor has framed this as preventing the "weaponization of local police officers" against immigrant communities, arguing that ICE has "ample resources" to conduct its own operations. The Department of Homeland Security has already condemned the proposal, claiming it would "compromise public safety." If passed, New York would join several other states that have already banned such cooperation.