New York Sheriffs Sue Over Law Barring ICE Cooperation

More than a dozen New York sheriffs filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging a new state law that prohibits local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, as Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to take legal action against any county that refuses to comply. The lawsuit, led by Rensselaer County Sheriff Kyle Bourgault, argues the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which took effect on August 26, 2026, is unconstitutional and unlawfully restricts elected sheriffs from entering into federally authorized immigration enforcement agreements.

The law, signed by Hochul in May, bars local and state agencies from entering into or maintaining 287g agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for civil immigration enforcement. It also requires existing detention agreements to be terminated within three months. At a press conference on Tuesday, Hochul warned that any police department or sheriff's office that disobeys the law will face legal action. "And to those suing us, those trying to block the implementation of this law who've tried before and failed, our law has already been upheld by the courts, but if you try me again, I say, bring it on," the...