Hochul Faces Lawsuit Threat Over ICE Ban
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is running into a wall from sheriffs and local leaders who say her sanctuary push would make communities less safe. The fight centers on 287(g) agreements, which let local officers work with federal immigration agents when someone in custody is also in the country illegally.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and sheriffs across the state are now talking about going to court. Blakeman, the Republican nominee for governor, says he has been in discussions with sheriffs about filing a lawsuit if Hochul moves ahead.
“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,” Blakeman told Fox News Digital. “They’re mad as hell.”
Hochul wants to fold a broad set of sanctuary policies into New York’s 2027 fiscal budget. That would include a ban on 287(g) agreements, limits on ICE access to schools, hospitals and churches, and tighter restrictions on informal cooperation with federal immigration agents.
One of the loudest critics is Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, who is also Blakeman’s running mate. Hood said sheriffs from all over the state have reached out to him and are not happy about the plan.
“I have sheriffs from all over the state contacting me, and they are all very upset about this,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “Almost all of them disagree. There’s very few sheriffs who are on board.”
Hood said the 287(g) setup helps officers do their jobs without risky extra steps.
“The 287 (g) program is absolutely amazing,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “It makes it so we don’t have to go into people’s houses.”
Under these agreements, local police can alert ICE when an illegal immigrant is booked into jail. That gives federal agents time to place a detainer and pick the person up directly from custody, instead of chasing them after release.
There are 14 active 287(g) agreements across nine New York counties. Nassau County signed on in February 2025, and officials say about 3,200 illegal immigrants arrested by local police have since been turned over to ICE.
Hood pointed to a recent Nassau case involving Elder Lopez Avalos, who was arrested for allegedly setting 10 cars on fire in Freeport. Because his charges were not bail-eligible, he was released. But ICE was able to detain him after his court hearing because of the county’s cooperation with federal agents.
“These people are criminals,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “They’re getting arrested. They’re coming into our jail, and they’re headed to the center about 40 minutes later after they get in,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “It’s very safe and very effective, and we work together in law enforcement, that’s our job.”
Hood also said local police should back federal agents during immigration operations instead of standing aside. He said that kind of coordination was missing during ICE’s large-scale immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
“Those local police should have been behind those agents, even if they’re not doing the actual immigration stuff,” Hood said of Operation Metro Surge. “They should have been there and had their backs down there, and that’s a massive failure by that state and that won’t happen under Bruce’s administration.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.