Border Czar Tom Homan on CSPAN, announcing an increase in ICE agents in NY State
Look for more ICE agents in New York
By Dan Murphy
The headline from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office read, Governor Hochul Signs Comprehensive Immigration Plan to Protect New Yorkers Against ICE, after Hochul signed “a sweeping set of laws to protect New Yorkers against aggressive federal immigration enforcement.”
“From day one, I have been clear: Flagrant abuses of power by ICE will not stand in New York. That is why we have enacted a comprehensive set of policies to hold ICE accountable, protect the constitutional rights and safety of every New Yorker, and ensure there’s no sanctuary for criminals in our state,” Governor Hochul said. “States like New York can and must be a guardrail and national leader against ICE overreach, and I’m proud to enact these strong, common-sense protections for New Yorkers.”
The new laws passed last month, and included in the state budget that Hochul signed, include preventing law enforcement agencies from cooperating with ICE and banning ICE agents from making arrests in schools and houses of worship, and banning ICE agents from wearing masks. The law prohibits law enforcement and government officials in NY State from cooperating with ICE when requested by the Federal agency to detain a criminal who is not an american citizen. Specifically, the law prohibits local governments, state and local police, and state and local corrections from entering into 287(g) Agreements or similar agreements with the federal government that allow for state and local law enforcement personnel and facilities to be used for civil immigration enforcement purposes. 287(g) agreements are the formal contracts that federally deputize local law enforcement personnel or allow local facilities to be used to enforce civil immigration laws.
The decision by Hochul and State legislators to include the New York for All Act in the budget has drawn sharp criticism from Border Czar Tom Homan and Westchester Congressman Mike Lawler.
After Hochul tweeted, “As I’ve told the President and Tom Homan, New York will never be a sanctuary for dangerous criminals. We will continue working with federal authorities to target violent offenders. But we will not stand by if ICE floods our communities with agents, separates families, and turns our neighborhoods into the backdrop for a campaign of fear,” Congressman Mike Lawler responded with
“You are so incredibly full of shit. If what you say is true, then why won’t you turn over those who commit crimes under state law and why did you just sign a bill that prohibits law enforcement and government officials from cooperating when detainer requests are issued?”
Border Czar Homan, on CSPAN, said, “You can expect more ICE agents to go to New York because Governor Hochul signed legislation that ended our 287 G agreements, where one agent can arrest one bad guy turned over by a jail. Now we’ve got to send a whole team to look for that guy. So she took away the efficiencies of the jails and the 287 (g) agreements. So it’s only math. One agent can arrest one bad guy safely and securely. The jail is safer for the aliens, safer for the agent, and safer for the community. But she decided to kill all that. So now we’ve got to send more agents to do the job. That would have taken one person.”
The 287 G. Program is a place where we get thousands of criminal aliens from. If you get arrested in a 287 G jail tonight, you’re going to be screened, too. Everybody. If I get arrested, I’ll be screened under 287 G. It helps us. It provides a force multiplier for finding criminal aliens. Now, Governor Hochul can say she supports the removal of criminal aliens, and she wants to work with ICE and criminal aliens. Since she’s been governor, thousands of criminals have hit the street. She says she supports the removal of criminal aliens, but she locks us out of the jail. She ends the 287 G agreement. You can’t square that. We believe that criminal aliens should be arrested and locked up in jail. It’s ridiculous. She’s lying to the people of New York State. We’re going to surge resources in New York. We have to. We got Rikers Island in New York City. I had an agreement with Mayor Adams to get back into Rikers Island. Now, if you truly believe we have a right to arrest and deport criminals who are in the country illegally, then why am I locked out of Rikers Island? Why do they keep releasing them to the street? You can’t square that. That’s ridiculous,” said Homan.
Our media coverage of ICE in Westchester has stopped over the past several months, due to a lack of presence in the county. Now we can anticipate more ICE sightings in Westchester, and more reports from Yonkerstimes.com.
