The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has accused multiple areas across upstate New York of violating federal immigration law.
They published a list of what it calls "sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law."
The list includes the cities of Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Beacon, Hudson, Ithaca, Kingston, New Paltz, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, as well as Albany County, Dutchess County, Monroe County, Orange County, Putnam County, Rockland County, Saratoga County, Sullivan County, Tompkins County, Ulster County, Warren County, Wayne County, Westchester County and Yates County.
Homeland Security claims that these locations are "deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens."
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
According to DHS, each jurisdiction will receive formal notification of all potential violations.
In response, Rochester city officials said, "Rochester's Sanctuary City policy is legally sound and always has been-including during the entirety of the Trump administration's first term. The city will continue to vigorously defend the legality of this policy and confront the Federal administration's overused tactics of distortion, distraction and division."
Steve Barz, director of communications and special events for Monroe County, called the announcement "classic government by press release" from the federal administration.
"Monroe County has not received any notification from the Department of Homeland Security of noncompliance or any other potential violations. The inclusion of Monroe County and the allegations in the DHS press release are factually incorrect and legally unfounded, and the County does not know why it is on the list distributed by DHS,” Barz said.
Kingston Mayor Steve Noble released a joint statement with Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger.
“We want to assure our residents that Ulster County and the City of Kingston are fully compliant with all federal laws, and any claim to the contrary is incorrect. We have not received any official communication from the federal government regarding the reasons our County and City and neighboring counties and cities appear on this list. Our commitment to public safety remains unwavering, as is our commitment to upholding the United States Constitution and the rights enshrined in it," the statement says.
Warren County said it had incorrectly appeared on the federal sanctuary county list.
“Warren County leaders were informed Friday that the county is on a list of immigration-related ‘sanctuary' counties released this week by the federal government," county Administrator John Taflan said. "Warren County has taken no actions to be considered a ‘sanctuary county’ by the US Department of Homeland Security or any other agency or organization. Multiple county agencies are working with federal officials to correct this error to ensure the federal funding that Warren County receives will not be impacted.”
Additionally, the city of Rochester faces a lawsuit from the federal government over its sanctuary city policy, stemming from an instance where Rochester Police intervened in a Border Patrol traffic stop.
Syracuse is awaiting notice from the Justice Department regarding the announcement, said Greg Loh, chief policy officer for the city. He said the department continues to support removing violent criminals from the city, but Syracuse has not changed its policy since the previous Trump administration.
"Syracuse has been and always will be a welcoming city and proud refugee and immigrant resettlement community. We are in regular contact with our non-profit and government partners to ensure immigration enforcement efforts are in compliance with local, state and federal laws. We do not want to see the lives of our resettled refugees, New Americans and all groups of immigrants, their friends, and their families upended," Loh said in a statement.