Gov. Kathy Hochul is preparing to roll out a proposal aimed at giving New Yorkers “a way to get recourse” when they believe they’ve been harmed by the actions of ICE agents, a plan she says will be part of her 2026 State of the State agenda to be unveiled next week.

She previewed the idea during a Thursday appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” tying it to a broader conversation about immigration enforcement following the deadly shooting in Minnesota.

During the interview, Hochul acknowledged that she personally confronted a federal immigration officer last year outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, accusing the agent of intimidating the public.

“Why do you think you are more than anybody else? Come on, you’re just trying to terrorize people,” the governor said she told the officer during the encounter.

Hochul did not provide additional details about the exchange or explain what prompted the confrontation.

Her comments and the forthcoming proposal represent a notable shift in tone from the position Hochul has often taken since President Trump’s election, when she repeatedly suggested that New York would find ways to cooperate with federal authorities as part of a broader immigration crackdown.

While she has generally avoided drawing firm lines publicly, Hochul has previously said she supports coordination with federal agencies in cases involving migrants accused of committing crimes.

Early last year, amid criticism that New York’s sanctuary policies were shielding criminals in the country illegally, Hochul said she was compiling a detailed list of offenses that would lead the state to turn migrants over to ICE.

“We’ll be announcing this probably before the end of the year or early next year,” Hochul said at the time.

“I think the public has a right to know. Law enforcement needs to know where I’m coming from,” she continued.

“Washington needs to know where we’re going to be helpful, what we’re going to do, and I’ll be very clear on this so everyone has no doubt in their mind what the situation will look like in the state of New York.”

When ICE began carrying out its first high-profile operations in New York City under President Trump’s enforcement push last year, Hochul signaled then that she supported federal efforts focused on migrants who had committed crimes.

{Matzav.com}

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