New York, NY—Today, the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced the launch of its Office of Immigrant Trust (OIT). The Office of Immigrant Trust is charged with investigating potential unlawful collusion by State and local government employees with federal immigration enforcement like ICE and Border Patrol, and sent letters to the twelve local law enforcement agencies currently with 287(g) agreements reminding them of their August 25 expiration.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“New York State is not in the business of doing ICE’s dirty work. New Yorkers should have full confidence that State and local agencies are fully implementing recently enacted laws that limit collaboration with ICE and Border Patrol and expand data protections in interactions with government agencies. The Office of Immigrant Trust, under the authority of the New York State Attorney General, will play a vital role in ensuring compliance with these laws, particularly in ensuring all local jurisdictions terminate all 287(g) agreements and that New Yorkers are not held in local jails for alleged immigration violations. We applaud Attorney General Letitia James for swiftly creating this office, and look forward to working with OIT and other State partners to ensure that State resources are never used to disappear our immigrant neighbors.”