Nassau County’s Bold Move Against Immigration Policy

It seems like today belongs to Blake.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is making headlines with his effort to counter Governor Kathy Hochul’s support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This comes in light of a new sanctuary law that could effectively prevent local police from collaborating with federal immigration authorities.

A series of bills, negotiated by Blakeman and passed by Democrats, aims to stop ICE from having any presence in Nassau County’s jails.

Blakeman, the Republican candidate challenging Hochul for governor, responded directly to Hochul’s threat to state Attorney General Letitia James regarding enforcing anti-ICE laws in Nassau County. His comment? “Enjoy your day.”

He further declared, “We will not abide by any law that limits our ability to cooperate with ICE,” and mentioned plans to take legal action against the state regarding the new legislation.

This provocative stance could lead to a showdown between Blakeman and Hochul beyond just the election in November. Hochul has positioned herself strongly as a leader within the Democratic Party’s opposition to President Trump’s strict immigration policies.

Under political pressure, Hochul has been advocating for extensive laws that would make New York a sanctuary state. The proposed legislation would prohibit local police from working with ICE, even in informal ways, like alerting federal agencies if they suspect an illegal immigrant is in custody.

Moreover, the bill would restrict federal agents from concealing their identities while on duty and allow individuals to sue immigration officials for breaches of their constitutional rights, such as entering private properties without a warrant.

However, the prohibition of so-called “287-g” agreements—which allow some regions to collaborate with the federal government—appears aimed at embarrassing Blakeman specifically. Blakeman, a supporter of Trump, had previously signed a significant 287-g contract with ICE last year.

This contract allowed the setup of 50 cells to detain federal immigrants for a maximum of three days. Since February 2025, Nassau County has taken in roughly 3,200 ICE detainees from the greater New York area.

While Hochul takes on a tough anti-Trump persona, Blakeman is reminiscent of Dirty Harry, promising to file a lawsuit to maintain his contract with ICE. “We’ve removed thousands of illegal immigrants with criminal histories. And we didn’t go after any churches, schools, daycare centers, or hospitals. We managed it collaboratively,” he stated.

State officials have previously criticized this partnership, and Nassau County faced a lawsuit from the New York Civil Liberties Union over the arrangement, which was ultimately dismissed. Critics note that approximately 60% of ICE detainees in the county have criminal records, though only about 5% of those have committed violent crimes, based on federal statistics.

Supporters of Blakeman argue that the county only transfers immigrants to ICE when there’s been a violent crime or when someone is in custody, highlighting the case of the alleged arsonist, Lopez Avalos.

Officials clarified that the special cells in Nassau primarily hold detainees picked up by federal authorities outside the county’s jurisdiction.