New York, NY (June 9, 2026)

Federal immigration officials are preparing to expand enforcement operations in New York City following a new state law that limits cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.

Tom Homan, who serves as the Trump administration’s border czar, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will continue carrying out arrests in New York and suggested the city could see a significantly larger federal presence. His comments came after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation restricting how state and local agencies may assist with civil immigration enforcement.

The new state measures are intended to prevent local police departments and other public agencies from being used to carry out federal immigration work. The law limits certain agreements between local governments and ICE, restricts federal immigration access to some public locations without proper legal authorization, and places additional limits on cooperation involving civil immigration cases.

Homan argued that the restrictions will make enforcement less efficient and could push ICE to conduct more operations in neighborhoods and public areas rather than coordinating arrests through local jail systems. Federal officials have said such coordination is safer for officers, detainees, and the public.

Hochul and Democratic state leaders have defended the new law as a public safety measure, saying local police should focus on crime rather than civil immigration enforcement. Supporters of the legislation argue that immigrant communities are less likely to report crimes or cooperate with law enforcement when local agencies are closely tied to federal immigration operations.

The dispute highlights the widening divide between New York’s state government and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement. New York leaders have sought to strengthen protections for immigrants, while federal officials have pledged to intensify enforcement in jurisdictions that limit cooperation with ICE.

As I’ve told the President and Tom Homan, New York will never be a sanctuary for dangerous criminals.

We will continue working with federal authorities to target violent offenders.

But we will not stand by if ICE floods our communities with agents, separates families, and turns… https://t.co/LHlXXlT9j9

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 9, 2026