Research Note Researched

New York — ICE detention explosion, 287(g) proliferation, statewide fight

New York has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations in ICE enforcement infrastructure in the country. From a single federal detention facility and two county jails holding ICE detainees, the state has expanded to 12 law enforcement agencies with 287(g) agreements across 9 counties, with county jails booking nearly 2,800 detainees in just the first 7 months of 2025 (vs. 500 in all of 2024).

The 287(g) Explosion

Before 2025, New York had one 287(g) agreement (Rensselaer County, Capital Region). By February 2026, there are twelve active agreements in nine counties.

Warrant Service Officer Model (jail-based)

Madison County (July 2025)
Broome County
Nassau County
Niagara County
Otsego County
Steuben County

Task Force Model (street-level enforcement)

Nassau County (also has WSO)
Niagara County (also has WSO)
Steuben County (also has WSO)
Cattaraugus County
Allegany Village Police
Camden Police Department (Oneida County — signed July 2025 after ICE took local restaurant owner)
Wayland Police Department (Steuben County)

County Jail IGSA Explosion

Seven jails booked ~2,800 people in first 7 months of 2025 (6x increase from 500 in all of 2024):

County	Joined	Rate/day	Notes
Orange	Pre-2025	Unknown	324 booked in 2024; $78M annual jail costs
Clinton	Pre-2025	Unknown	Long-standing
Allegany	Feb 2025	$95	New
Broome	Feb 2025	Unknown	New
Montgomery	Feb 2025	Unknown	New
Nassau	Feb 2025	$195	50 designated cells
Niagara	May 2025	$148	Sheriff later restricted policy

ICE Arrests: County-Level Data (2024 vs Jan-Oct 2025)

County	2024	2025 (thru Oct)	Change
Erie	59	620	+951%
Monroe	6	224	+3,633%
Albany	20	190	+850%
Onondaga	56	161	+188%
Cattaraugus	0	10	new

NYC Area: Mass Enforcement

First 8 weeks of 2026: 1,200+ arrested in NYC AOR (vs 462 in Q1 2025)
Only 16% deportation rate in 2026 (vs 74% in 2025) — arrests up, deportations down
76% of arrests involve people with no criminal history (“collateral” arrests)
800 “collateral” arrests documented Aug 2025-Mar 2026 (THE CITY investigation)

Key Legal Actions

26 Federal Plaza class action: Trial May 26, 2026 (secret 9th floor, inhumane conditions)
ICE racial profiling lawsuit: Filed April 9, 2026 (THE CITY reporting)
Courthouse arrests: DOJ admitted ICE used erroneous information to justify courthouse arrests (March 2026)

Legislative Response

Governor Hochul’s Local Cops, Local Crimes Act (January 2026)

Would void all 14 current 287(g) agreements
Bar local jails and police from aiding civil immigration enforcement
Temporary: protections expire after 3 years (July 2029)
Does NOT prohibit informal cooperation (intelligence sharing, tip calls)

NY4All Act (advocacy coalition proposal)

More comprehensive: blocks both formal and informal ICE cooperation
Prevents use of state/local resources for federal immigration enforcement
Protects access to essential services regardless of status
No expiration date
Supported by NYCLU, NYIC, Make the Road NY

Opposing bill: Assembly Bill A5467 (February 2025)

Would create state process for local agencies to join 287(g)
Up to 10 officers per agency could be deputized

Private Prisons Banned

Private detention centers are illegal in New York state. This forces ICE to rely on:

Federal facilities (Batavia — over capacity)
County jails (IGSA agreements — expanding rapidly)
Warehouse conversions (Chester proposal — community killed it)

This is why the county jail IGSA pipeline is so important in NY: it’s ICE’s only viable expansion mechanism absent warehouse conversions.

NYC Resistance Infrastructure

Mayor Zohran Mamdani (elected 2025) instructed city agencies and NYPD to uphold sanctuary laws
Community “care walks” — early morning patrols creating safety corridors
Student/faculty protests (Columbia, April 2026)
Passover anti-ICE rally in Union Square led to Palantir sit-in (15 arrested)

Sources

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