U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it is arresting fewer undocumented immigrants in the New York-Long Island region. Data released Monday show a sharp decrease since a New York court largely blocked local government cooperation with ICE.
A New York court ruling last November prohibited county jails from detaining people on ICE’s behalf. Since then the number of people ICE has arrested in the New York area has dropped by about 300 people, or 20%, compared to the same period in 2018. In a separate report released Monday, researchers using ICE data found that the Trump administration has become more reliant on cooperation from local law enforcement.
“What all of that suggests is a lack of cooperation by local communities will likely make it very difficult for ICE to carry out large-scale immigration enforcement,” says Emily Ryo, a professor of law and sociology at the University of South California.
Even though Suffolk and Nassau county sheriffs no longer hold people on ICE’s behalf, jail officials and lawyers indicate ICE is frequently notified when someone they want is about to be released.
