New York, NY—Today, Governor Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York against the Trump administration to defend a critical package of immigration protection laws enacted as part of New York’s FY27 State Budget. The legal challenge seeks to uphold New York’s authority to implement the package of laws that end formal partnerships with ICE including 287(g) agreements, establish the right for New Yorkers to sue federal agents who violate their constitutional rights in court, to prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing masks or other face coverings in public, and bar schools and state and local agencies from sharing information or facilitating civil immigration enforcement. This lawsuit comes as Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is also suing New York State over the same immigration package, as it has done to other states like California, Virginia and New Jersey over those States’ protections for their immigrant communities.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“There is no New York State without immigrant communities, and New York State took decisive steps to protect our communities from ICE terror and to defend our collective rights. The new State laws are particularly vital at a time when the Trump Administration is using violent and unlawful tactics in New York and across the country to create fear in our communities. The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees New York State’s self-determination, which cannot be undermined by the Trump administration’s bullying tactics or threats. It is imperative that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York upholds the right of New York State to enact its own laws to govern New Yorkers, and sides with its lawful efforts to protect every single New Yorker who calls our state home.”
Context:
Last month, the New York State Legislature passed and Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Public Protections and General Government bill of the FY27 budget, which includes an immigration package. The package ends formal partnerships with ICE, such as 287(g) agreements, establishes the right for New Yorkers to sue federal agents who violate their constitutional rights in court, and bars schools and state and local agencies from sharing information or facilitating civil immigration enforcement. A ban on Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSA), which prohibits local jails from contracting with ICE for the purposes of immigrant detention, will also go into effect. The package includes a prohibition on law enforcement officers from wearing masks or other face coverings in public. Localities will also be prohibited from incentivizing the construction, sale, or management of future immigrant detention facilities. Civil arrests are barred in sensitive locations including schools, hospitals, polling sites, churches and childcare centers, and enshrines into state law that all children in New York have the right to public education regardless of immigration status.