Albany County committee adopts amended resolution limiting cooperation with ICE, sparks debate over enforcement and victims
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Summary
Resolution 55 would bar the county sheriff from entering into 287(g) agreements and prevent county property from being used to stage ICE or Border Patrol operations; sponsors argued the change protects public safety and civil rights, while some members raised concerns about victims, sheriff duties and the scope of 'cooperation.'
The Public Safety Committee considered Resolution 55, a measure aimed at limiting county facilitation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol operations in Albany County.
The resolution's sponsor opened with a detailed critique of recent federal immigration enforcement tactics and said the measure would prohibit the Albany County Sheriff's Office from entering into agreements under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and would bar use of county property as staging areas or detention centers for ICE or Border Patrol. "This resolution makes it clear that Albany County will not cooperate with any such lawless ICE or border patrol operations in our community," the sponsor said, arguing the policy is designed to protect public safety and the rule of law.
Committee members pressed the sponsor on the resolution’s scope and on how the county would balance compliance with federal law and refusing voluntary cooperation. One member asked whether the county would still provide protection for federal officers who were attacked; the sponsor and others said county law-enforcement obligations under New York penal law would remain. "If anybody was to come in and violate...the New York State penal law...it would be the sheriff's obligation to arrest anyone they saw violating the law," the sponsor said.
Other members raised concerns about victims of crime and urged that the resolution not undermine legitimate law-enforcement work or victim protections. A longtime law-enforcement member said the community needs a discussion about how to work with ICE "legitimately" when appropriate to protect victims and public safety.
The committee debated and adopted an amendment to the resolution, then moved and passed the resolution as amended. Sponsors said they had consulted the sheriff and the district attorney, and the sponsor told the committee those offices did not object to the amended language recorded in the markup the law committee had previously considered.
The record shows the committee approved the amendment and then voted on the resolution as amended; the transcript records ayes for the amended motion and indicates the committee completed the vote before adjourning.