Fifteen New York sheriffs are suing Gov. Kathy Hochul over a state law that took effect this week banning formal agreements between local governments and federal agencies.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington, D.C., filed the lawsuit on behalf of the sheriffs of St. Lawrence, Wayne, Broome, Madison, Cattaraugus, Orange, Jefferson, Saratoga, Lewis, Franklin, Delaware, Fulton, Oswego, Cayuga and Rensselaer counties, according to the Albany Times-Union.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said Hochul had “escalated her administration’s war on the police and she expanded policies to put criminals before the citizens of New York.”
“Under the New York Constitution’s guarantees of Home Rule (Article IX) and Separation of Powers, and under the independent status of their office, they possess the authority to make their own judgments about whether and how to participate in the cooperative framework Congress created,” the lawsuit said, according to WSTM-TV.
The lawsuit said the constitutional overreach to ban what are known as 287(g) agreements harms public safety.
.@benfergusonshow : Gov Hochul Going to War With Anyone Who Wears a Badge
“What did she say to law enforcement? Bring it on. Not to those that are criminals.”
“You have a governor that clearly is saying, I’m going to war with anyone who wears a badge… I am saying illegal… pic.twitter.com/nWC4bunjZu
— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) August 26, 2026
Will these sheriffs prevail in court?
Yes: 100% (3 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
“Together, these provisions do more than express a policy preference,” the lawsuit states.
“They nullify the ability of independently elected constitutional officers to enter into contracts authorized by federal law. In doing so, they subject those officers’ core law-enforcement judgments to centralized state oversight and control. The resulting harm is imminent and irreparable,” the lawsuit said, according to the Times-Union.
The lawsuit wants an injunction to prevent enforcement of the law as the court battle over its constitutionality moves forward.
Hochul, trying to rally voters as she faces an election battle for a second term, called the law a “stand against ICE overreach.”
“We will not sit idly by when ICE commits atrocities on our streets,” she said, while insisting that cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would take place when necessary.
“Let me be clear: any police department or sheriff’s office that disobeys this law, that maintains any agreement with ICE, will face legal action,” Hochul said.
“And to those suing us, those trying to block the implementation of this law, (you) tried before and failed. Our law has been already upheld by courts. But if you’re trying it again, I say bring it on. Courts have already spoken, but I’m confident we’ll win again,” she said.
McLaughlin said illegal immigrants detained in his county “did something serious enough to land in our jail. All we do is run them through a federal (law enforcement) database to find out what other crimes they may have committed. … In effect, this governor is trying to give special privileges to illegal aliens by not running them through the same databases we run Americans through.”
Upstate sheriffs are calling out Kathy Hochul for trying to block counties from working with federal law enforcement.
I rejected sanctuary policies in Nassau and removed violent criminals from our streets.
When I am Governor, I will end sanctuary status across New York.
— Bruce Blakeman (@NassauExec) August 12, 2026
The law also faces a challenge from the U.S. Department of Justice, which lost its effort to have a temporary injunction issued to block the law from taking effect.
Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy of New York took New York Attorney General Letitia James to task for her role in coming down on any police agency that wants to work with ICE.
“The Attorney General’s job is to be the chief law enforcement of the state, not to go to war with her law enforcement partners. Our sheriffs are on the frontlines of keeping our communities safe from dangerous criminals and they should be supported not prevented from working with federal law enforcement to do their jobs. Disgraceful,” he posted on Facebook.
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