A new law in the state of New York banning local police departments and state agencies from working with federal immigration enforcement officially took effect on August 25, 2026, which is laying the groundwork for a legal battle between the state and Nassau County, which has not yet committed to complying with the measure.
The bill, known as the Local Cops Local Crimes Act (LCLCA), places a strict prohibition on local government agencies from entering into or maintaining agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the purpose of assisting in civil immigration enforcement and hold illegal aliens in local jails.
According to information shared by state officials, a total of 13 counties in the Empire State already had agreements like those described above in place when Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the measure into law in May 2026. Eleven of those counties said they would end those agreements by the stated deadline, however, several counties, including Rensselaer and Nassau, are still considering their options.
According to a report from ABC7 NY, in February, Nassau County allowed ten of its officers to be officially deputized by ICE and the county has also been allowing the agency to use its jails as a holding facility. They are also being reimbursed for the cost of doing so by the federal government.
In Albany on August 25, 2026, Hochul took an opportunity to speak about the law taking effect, saying that local police officers should have their attention focused on local crimes and keeping the crime rate down instead of being used to enforce civil immigration issues. “Local police will assist ICE only if a real crime has been committed, but on civil immigration matters, ICE is on their own,” the governor said.
“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,” she added. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is the GOP nominee in the governor race against Hochul, said the county is still considering whether it would comply with the law.
“No county executive should think that they are above the law in the state of New York,” Hochul went on to tell reporters. “However, if they do thwart the laws that are duly elected or enacted by this legislature and the governor, the Attorney General will be fully responsible for enforcement.” As of this writing, the process of enforcing the measure is underway.
"*" indicates required fields
The state Attorney General’s Office of Immigrant Trust has already issued subpoenas for Nassau County police and the Nassau County sheriff. The state government considers Nassau County to not be in compliance with the law. Immigration advocates showed up on the steps of Nassau County police headquarters in Mineola where they called out Blakeman and the jurisdiction for having cooperation agreements with ICE.
“And though we passed these laws, we’re not taking our foot off the gas. We know that implementation is where policies can go to die, and we will not let this happen,” Natalia Aristizabal with Make the Road New York stated. A key question being asked now is whether Nassau could challenge the law in court by making the case that it infringes on local authority.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video