A federal judge has denied the federal government’s motion for an injunction on New York’s new immigration state law that bans formal agreements between local governments and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), known as 287(g) agreements, while blocking part of the law that prohibits ICE agents from wearing masks.
According to a ruling Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, the judge sided with the state in arguing the ban of 287(g) agreements is “an appropriate means of furthering New York’s legitimate interests in protecting public welfare and choosing how state and local resources are expended.”
The judge also ruled that the mask ban can have a chilling effect on enforcement of federal law by interfering with the safety protection of federal enforcement officers.
The laws at hand were part of legislation passed by the New York Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in May in response to the Trump administration’s immigration policy. The measures also prohibit ICE agents from wearing masks and protects sensitive locations — including hospitals, childcare centers, schools, polling places and churches — from ICE enforcement activity without a judicial warrant.
“As we have said from the start, New York’s ban on 287(g) agreements is legal and will keep our communities safe. Local law enforcement should be focused on local matters, and New York taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for any collaboration with ICE,” Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Monday evening. “While the court enjoined enforcement of New York’s mask ban, we stand firm in our belief that masked agents do not make New York safer and our offices are reviewing all legal options at this time.”
Recently, the state Office of Immigrant Trust sent letters to county and city law enforcement agencies with 287(g) agreements to assist federal immigration authorities that said they must end them by Aug. 25.
