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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul faces new legal and political challenges over a law restricting local law enforcement cooperation with ICE after her Republican gubernatorial opponent warned it was "written in the blood" of crime victims.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, whose county borders sanctuary New York City, warned more New Yorkers will be hurt by Hochul’s move, pointing to recent cases of people maimed by illegal immigrants.
"I want to be very clear about this law: This law is written in the blood of the victims, past, present and future," Blakeman said.
"This law is completely misguided and will make our communities less safe," Blakeman said. "We have a governor and a legislature [wherein] every major criminal justice initiative makes it easier for criminals to prey on our communities."
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Blakeman’s warning came as a coalition of 15 sheriffs representing counties from the shore of Lake Champlain to the Massachusetts line filed a lawsuit challenging the ban on 287(g) ICE agreements.
His campaign referred Fox News Digital to his remarks when asked for additional comment.
In a memo outlining the "Local Cops, Local Crimes Act," Hochul argued that "current federal immigration efforts have made communities less safe" and that using local officers and assets for federal civil immigration enforcement draws resources away from local public-safety functions.
A Hochul spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Blakeman’s "understanding of New York’s bail and immigration laws is incorrect," and said the governor’s top priority remains public safety.
"The Local Cops, Local Crimes Act does not tie the hands of our police or stop them from apprehending dangerous criminals, and local law enforcement can and will continue to work with federal authorities on criminal investigations and violent crime just as they always have," the spokesperson said, adding that the law doesn't prevent cooperation on "ordinary criminal investigations."
Hochul recently signaled she'd enlist Attorney General Letitia James to take action against counties that do not comply with the law, while quipping that police should not be converging on churches and schools to help "Stephen Miller reach his quotas." Miller is a White House aide credited with crafting much of President Donald Trump's immigration policy.
"We have reviewed this law with the county attorneys and we looked for every possible way not to comply with this law," Blakeman said in his recent remarks. "However, it was concluded that we would have to abide by the law. I am a law-and-order county executive. I believe in the rule of law, even when it's a bad law," he said.
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Blakeman said the law makes it harder for police to keep communities safe, pointing to the recent killing of Westchester County resident Sheridan Gorman, which authorities have attributed to an illegal immigrant, while she was attending college in sanctuary Chicago.
Blakeman cited Illinois’ restrictions on state and local participation in federal immigration enforcement as he argued that New York was moving in a similar direction.
Closer to home, Blakeman said an illegal immigrant from Honduras was charged days ago in his county with second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a 14-year-old.
Rep. Michael Lawler, the Rockland County Republican who has often warred with Hochul, tweeted this latest law shows she is "the worst governor in America" and "doesn't give a s— about public safety or the rule of law."
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin opposed the 287(g) ban before it took effect, calling the agreements "common sense."
McLaughlin, whose Capital Region county is one of the 15 challenging the law, invited Hochul to follow through:
"We don’t really care what this legislature did, we are not going to let them endanger our citizens," he told ABC’s Troy affiliate in June. "I dare you to confront me on this, governor. We’re not stopping."
Late Thursday, Hochul announced a countersuit against Rensselaer County’s sheriff for noncompliance.
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Blakeman said he similarly sought a route to noncompliance, pointing to the recent seizure of dozens of illegal handguns and several kilograms of drugs, as well as one of the "largest gang takedowns" in the U.S., which netted 42 gang members in 2025.
Blakeman argued Wednesday that ICE involvement allowed authorities to keep some suspects in custody who otherwise might have been released under New York's cashless bail and other laws. The law-and-order debate is also playing out elsewhere on the statewide GOP ticket, where former Brooklyn federal prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy, who is vying against James, is in a faceoff over criminal justice policies.
Fox News Digital's Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.
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