NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- New York’s push to limit state cooperation with federal immigration authorities will trigger a surge in enforcement activity, with more agents deployed into communities and an increase in arrests beyond initial targets, said White House border czar Tom Homan.
Governor Kathy Hochul’s drive to impose additional curbs on cooperation with immigration officials will force agents to shift away from arresting people already in custody and focus more on mounting operations in neighborhoods, Homan said Tuesday at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix.
“You are going to see more ICE agents than you have ever seen before,” Homan said. “We’ll find the bad guys. Most times we do and when we find the bad guy, he’s with others. Others may not be a priority target, but they are in the country illegally. Guess what? They are coming, too.”
Hochul fired back after saying she received word of Homan’s comments, although she added that the state will continue working with federal authorities in cases involving dangerous criminals.Yuki Iwamura - Pool/Getty Images
A proposal under discussion in New York would bar local law enforcement agencies from entering into or maintaining so-called 287(g) agreements, which allow officers to carry out certain immigration enforcement functions, typically in jails. The state already limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities in most cases under existing law.
Hochul fired back after saying she received word of Homan’s comments, although she added that the state will continue working with federal authorities in cases involving dangerous criminals.
“All I’ll say to Mr. Homan is that Donald Trump himself said he would not send a surge of ICE agents to the state of New York unless I ask,” Hochul said. “I’m not asking.”
Homan described arrests inside jails as safer for officers, detainees and the public, and said shifting those operations into communities would increase both the scale and visibility of enforcement. He said the loss of jail access would lead to more complex operations carried out by larger teams of agents in public settings.
“You will see collateral arrests increasing,” he said. “You will see more agents in your neighborhoods because you forced us into this position.”
