NCPD, Sheriff’s Office Subpoenaed Over ICE Agreements: AG’s Office

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — New York Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed the Nassau County Police Department and Nassau County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, claiming that the county had issued an unsatisfactory response to a state law banning local police cooperation with ICE on civil immigration matters.

The "Local Cops, Local Crimes" act took effect in New York Tuesday morning, banning section 287(g) agreements between ICE and local police departments.

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According to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, those agreements, "allow local officers or employees to engage in or assist with federal civil immigration enforcement or otherwise perform the functions of federal immigration officers, eroding trust between immigrant communities and local institutions, and making residents less likely to report crimes, seek help, or cooperate with law enforcement."

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, James' office said five organizations had been subpoenaed over their response to the new state law.

"The Office of the Attorney General's Office of Immigrant Trust has issued subpoenas to law enforcement agencies who either did not confirm their plans to unwind their 287(g) agreements with ICE or whose responses were unsatisfactory, including the Sheriffs' Offices of Broome, Steuben, Nassau, and Rensselaer counties, as well as the Nassau County Police Department," a spokesperson for the AG's office said Tuesday.

A spokesperson for County Executive Bruce Blakeman declined to comment on how Nassau County would handle the new state law, and did not respond to requests for comment on the subpoenas Tuesday afternoon.

Nassau County has had an agreement with ICE since 2025, when 10 detectives were cross-trained and cross-designated with the agency. Since then, the agreement has been challenged multiple times in court but has not been formally dissolved.

In recent months, an effort by the federal government to halt Hochul's ban was also stymied in court, although a judge ruled that federal agents could wear masks while carrying out their duties in the state.

The ban comes down just two months before Blakeman and Hochul go head to head at polling stations in the governor's race, with the county executive trailing the governor by 10 points in the most recent poll of likely voters.

"Here in New York, we need local police focused on keeping our communities safe — not serving as de-facto ICE agents, not conducting civil immigration enforcement, and not carrying out the Trump Administration's callous immigration agenda," Hochul said. "That's why I championed our new law banning 287(g) agreements and ensuring local cops remain focused on real crime in our communities. Starting today, ICE can no longer commandeer locally-funded police to aid an out-of-control federal agency with an $85 billion budget."

In a statement Tuesday, Hochul said James had previously sent letters to the 12 municipalities whose police departments had made agreements with ICE. Among them was Nassau County.

"Attorney General James will ensure that municipalities comply with New York law and that state and local institutions remain focused on protecting and serving New Yorkers," Hochul's office said.

Rensselaer County's inclusion among the counties whose responses were deemed unsatisfactory came a day after Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and Sheriff Kyle Bourgault said that their county would be party to a lawsuit in the northern district of New York seeking to stop the ban.

"We believe Rensselaer County will be one of a number of plaintiffs in the suit," the county officials said Monday.

For her part, James said she believed counties would fall in line.

"We expect all law enforcement agencies in New York to uphold New York's laws. Through the Office of Immigrant Trust, my office will continue to work with law enforcement professionals across the state to ensure they understand their obligations, and we are prepared to enforce the law if those responsibilities are not upheld," James said. "True public safety requires public trust, and we are committed to ensuring all New Yorkers are kept safe."