(The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing back against White House Border Czar Tom Homan’s threats to ramp up immigration enforcement in the state after she signed a new bill restricting ICE cooperation.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Democrat defended her decision to sign legislation two weeks ago that limits cooperation between state and local police with U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and prohibits the federal agency from deputizing local police to help detain undocumented immigrants, among other changes.
The governor also responded to comments by Homan that he is gearing up to surge ICE agents in New York City and state in response to passage of the new restrictions.
“We are very focused on helping communities be safe, and local law enforcement should be working with ICE to help remove criminals — full stop,” Hochul said in remarks. “This is what President Trump said he would do — go after the “baddest of the bad,” the “worst of the worst,” — and that’s what we’re willing to support.”
Hochul said the new law allows New York authorities to work with ICE to help them apprehend suspects who have committed crimes but said it prevents federal authorities from “harassing ordinary people in our state, going about their lives in a lawful way.”
“When someone has committed a crime and they’re sentenced to jail and they complete that time, we will help you. I’ve sent over 1,600 people,” Hochul said. “We’ve contacted ICE and said, ‘These are the people you can take now. They committed a crime. They’re convicted criminals. They should go.'”
Homan has repeatedly threatened to crack down on New York in response to Democrats efforts to restrict cooperation with immigration enforcement operations.
On Monday, Homan said the coming ICE surge will focus on New York City, and its five boroughs, not Long Island or upstate counties, some of which have been cooperating with federal authorities.
“I made (Gov. Kathy Hochul) a promise. ‘You’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen in New York City and it’s coming,’” Homan told Fox News’ Fox and Friends on Monday. “I’m keeping my promise. We’re going to send more ICE agents to New York because you took away the efficiencies of safe arrests in county jails.”
New York City saw a surge of hundreds of thousands of migrants during the Biden administration that overwhelmed the city’s shelter system. The city has spent billions of dollars over the past several years on housing, food and necessities for the new arrivals, prompting threats from the Trump administration to pull back federal funding.
But Homan’s renewed threats come as Hochul and New York City’s Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani are refusing to let ICE take custody of illegal immigrants in county jails. The new law signed by Hochul bans so-called 287(g) agreements between the Department of Homeland Security and New York counties.
“I told her it’s safer for the community, it’s safer for the officers, it’s safer for the aliens to have this cooperation with the jails,” Homan told Fox Monday. “She signed the legislation anyways.”
