Governor Hochul: New York’s ban on 287(g) agreements is legal and will keep our communities safe
By Andrew Harris
Last week we reported that twelve NY law enforcement agencies, including the Cattaraugus County Sheriff and Steuben County Sheriff received notice from NY State Attorney General Letitia James that all 287g contracts with ICE must be dissolved by August 25th. The notice was enforcing the NYS law “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” which passed earlier in 2026. Read our previous reporting on that below:
Steuben County Sheriff James Allard predicted legal action to challenge the action calling it “an overreach and in violation of home rule.” The federal government asked for an injunction in federal court and the U.S. Northern District court denied the request. It is unclear if a legal challenge will be pursued on a state level but the Steuben County Public Safety Committee has passed a resolution supporting county participation.
Within that ruling the court did side with the federal government and denied the NYS attempt to ban masked federal law enforcement officers. That ruling was made based on the “Supremacy Clause,” a concept that federal laws are supreme when state and federal law come into conflict. Essentially, state laws can’t supersede federal laws, and federal law allows agents to be masked in the line of duty.
Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after the U.S. Court for the Northern District of New York denied the federal government’s motion for a preliminary injunction blocking New York’s ban on 287(g) agreements between local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):
“As we have said from the start, New York’s ban on 287(g) agreements is legal and will keep our communities safe. Local law enforcement should be focused on local matters, and New York taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for any collaboration with ICE.
“While the court enjoined enforcement of New York’s mask ban, we stand firm in our belief that masked agents do not make New York safer and our offices are reviewing all legal options at this time.”
