NY Governor Kathy Hochul Proposes Bill to End Local Police Cooperation with ICE

Governor Hochul's Proposed Legislation

• 🏛️ Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing legislation to prevent local police in New York from cooperating with ICE agents in detaining and deporting individuals.
• 🚫 The bill aims to send a strong message to ICE, stating that local police and technology will not be used to track or detain individuals who have not committed crimes.
• ⚖️ The proposal forbids state and local police from acting as ICE agents, prohibits the use of taxpayer-funded resources for civil immigration enforcement, and restricts jails and prisons from civil detentions or transporting civil detainees.

Rationale and Context

• 💔 The governor's proposal follows the deaths of two unarmed U.S. citizens in Minnesota at the hands of ICE agents and chaotic scenes at 26 Federal Plaza.
• 🎯 Hochul emphasized that the law would not prevent cooperation with ICE in tracking down undocumented criminals who have committed crimes.
• 🗣️ She stated, "When individuals enter this country illegally and commit crimes, I want them arrested and tried. If they're convicted, they must be imprisoned and deported."

Reactions and Concerns

• 🤝 NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish stated that the legislation does not interfere with existing important partnerships and cooperation with federal agencies.
• 😟 However, County Executive Bruce Blakeman expressed concern, stating the law would tie local law enforcement's hands, leading to the release of criminals who have committed violent and heinous crimes.
• ❓ The report notes that Blakeman's statement is confusing as the governor's proposal does not target undocumented criminals.

Public Demonstrations

• ✊ Several hundred demonstrators gathered in Foley Square, lower Manhattan, to voice outrage over ICE operations nationwide.
• 📣 Protesters, many of them young people, chanted and waved signs, expressing anger over ICE operations not only in New York but also in Minneapolis and across the country.