County Fight
Lost
Oneida County NY — Camden police chief signed 287(g) after ICE took restaurant owner
Oneida, NY
Current status: After ICE arrested beloved restaurant owner Jian Hao Zhang on June 25, 2025, Camden Police Chief Sean Redden signed 287(g) task force agreement with ICE 7 days later. Village police now have street-level immigration enforcement powers.
A case study in how ICE enforcement actions can flip a community toward collaboration rather than resistance.
What Happened
- June 25, 2025: ICE agents arrested Jian Hao Zhang, 56, owner of a long-standing Chinese-American restaurant in Camden, placed him in a blacked-out van
- ~July 2, 2025: Camden Police Chief Sean Redden signed 287(g) Task Force Model agreement with ICE — just 7 days later
- Agreement gives Camden police officers the power to enforce immigration law on village streets
Significance
This is the opposite of the typical “county fight” pattern. Rather than community opposition blocking ICE, the ICE enforcement action catalyzed a local police department signing on. One of only a few municipal (non-county) 287(g) agreements in New York.
Sources
This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.