Nassau County Executive’s Response to New Immigration Law

Bruce Blakeman, the executive of Nassau County in New York, has agreed to comply with the state’s new law that prohibits cooperation with ICE. Nonetheless, he has also stated that his county is joining a lawsuit aimed at overturning this law.

Recently, New York Democrats passed legislation that prevents state law enforcement from participating in the federal 287(g) program, which facilitates cooperation with immigration enforcement. In response, 15 counties have initiated legal action to challenge the law.

Earlier this month, two counties that had previously participated in the ICE program banded together to sue the state over the newly enacted law—referred to as the Local Crimes, Local Cop Act—which took effect on August 25. This act effectively terminated the contracts those counties had with ICE, leading local authorities to express their anger at what they see as state overreach into local policing matters.

Since then, additional sheriffs from 15 counties have joined the effort to annul the new legislation.

Blakeman, a Republican who is challenging Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in the upcoming election, had initially been quiet about how his county would handle this law. However, he has now clarified his position.

He indicated that Nassau County will indeed cancel its contract with ICE, albeit grudgingly, while also joining the lawsuit against the new law that prompted this decision.

“This is one of the saddest days of my life as county executive,” he lamented regarding the contract termination. He mentioned that while he will adhere to “the technicalities of the law,” he plans to continue collaboration with ICE wherever feasible.

“I am a law-and-order county executive. I believe in the rule of law—even when it’s a bad law, and this is a very, very bad and dangerous law,” he asserted.

Blakeman has previously praised the 287(g) program, explaining that working with ICE has significantly reduced crime in his county.

“We got rid of 2,000 illegal migrants with criminal records in Nassau County without raiding a church, a school, a daycare center, a hospital, because we cooperated with ICE,” he noted recently.

Blakeman has also criticized Hochul, claiming that her legislation will jeopardize the safety of New Yorkers. He questioned her intentions on where potentially dangerous individuals would be relocated and declared, “We say no!” regarding the return of these individuals to New York.

He further contended, “This law has made New York state more dangerous,” placing the responsibility for any criminal actions by illegal migrants squarely on Hochul and the Democrats in the state legislature, asserting it would result in “blood on their hands.”