by Kevin Killough
New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has fired back at White House border czar Tom Homan’s vow to send a larger number of illegal immigration enforcement agents to the state if legislators pass bills restricting coordination with Trump administration immigration enforcement efforts, saying, “I don’t take well to threats.
Hochul made the comment Thursday after Homan said he would “flood the zone” with agents, according to the Associated Press.
He made the vow during a keynote speech at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix – referring to New York’s refusal to enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which delegates state or local law enforcement to handle some immigration authority duties.
“We’re going to flood the zone. You’re going to see more agents than you’ve seen before. You forced us into this position,” he said.
With the expected surge in the number of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents next year, Homan told the estimated 2,200 people in attendance, that the historic number of deportations seen last year is going to increase.
New York’s proposed bills would prohibit state and local law enforcement from entering into these agreements or using their authority to act as civil immigration agents. It would also block ICE from entering schools or hospitals without a judicial warrant.
Hochul said that New York is going to pass legislation that it believes is important “to protect New Yorkers.”
On social media on Friday, Hochul said, “When boundaries are crossed, accountability matters.”
“We will not let ICE use local cops to carry out civil immigration enforcement. We will not let ICE agents hide behind masks to evade responsibility. And we will not let ICE agents get away with violating New Yorkers’ rights,” she said.
Hochul also said crime is down in New York “because we’ve given local law enforcement the resources to protect local communities.”
“Donald Trump said himself there would not be a surge of ICE agents into New York unless I asked for it. I’m not asking,” she said.
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Kevin Killough is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Governor Kathy Hochul” by Governor Kathy Hochul.
