Nassau County has two 287(g) agreements — both warrant service officer and task force model — making it one of the most aggressive ICE collaborators in New York state. A detainee death 18 hours after arrival spotlighted dangerous conditions.

287(g) Agreements

• County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed agreements in February 2025
• Both Nassau County Police Department and Nassau County Sheriff’s Office deputized
• 50 cells designated at Nassau County Correctional Center
• County paid $195 per detainee per night — the highest known rate in NY

Detainee Death

• Santos Reyes-Banegas, 42, Honduran national, father of two
• Arrested September 17, 2025
• Found dead in cell September 18, 2025 — less than 18 hours after arrival
• Preliminary reports: liver failure from alcoholism (cause still under investigation)
• First ICE detainee death in Nassau custody
• Investigations by: Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, AG Letitia James, NY Commission of Correction

Significance

This was the first 287(g)-related detainee death in New York state. Used by NYIC and advocacy groups as evidence that 287(g) agreements endanger lives and must be banned statewide.

Timeline (post-death developments)

• 2025-06: NYCLU, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and Hofstra Law Clinic file the first New York state lawsuit challenging a 287(g) agreement, naming Nassau County (suit predates the death; relevance compounded after Sep 2025).
• 2025-09-17/18: Santos Reyes-Banegas detained and dies in Nassau jail.
• 2026-01-08: La Voce di New York reports ICE missed the federal 90-day deadline (per the 2018 federal law) to release a detainee-death report. Family attorney Oscar Michelen calls the delay an “attempt to cover up what happened to Santos.” Family requests independent autopsy; Sheriff’s Department had not complied with records request for video footage.
• 2026-01-30: Gov. Kathy Hochul announces the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act” — proposed statewide ban on 287(g) agreements that would void existing contracts immediately. Blakeman vows defiance and threatens litigation.
• 2026-02 (early): Nassau County Supreme Court justice rejects the NYCLU coalition’s challenge, allowing the 287(g) agreement to continue (per Long Island Advocate). Plaintiffs signal continued litigation/appeal.
• 2026-02-09: Hofstra/Northwell Zucker School of Medicine publishes an ER professor commentary stressing alcohol-withdrawal protocols — implicit critique of the jail’s medical intake.
• 2026-02 (later): ICE releases revised report indicating Reyes-Banegas died of alcohol withdrawal, not liver failure as initially stated (per reporter Jacqueline Sweet/X; corroborated by AOL/follow-up coverage). Family continues to challenge findings.
• 2026-04-14 / 2026-04-16: Long Island Press, NY Focus, and The City report Long Island ICE arrests at record highs and detail Westchester/Long Island police-ICE collusion, citing Nassau as the most aggressive cooperator.
• 2026-04-19: Hochul restates push for ICE limits in the new state budget (WWNY); status of inclusion in final budget not confirmed in available sourcing as of 2026-05-06.
• 2026-04-20 (ABC7): Nassau County reported on track to detain ~3,000 ICE detainees in 2026 under the 287(g)/IGSA arrangement.

Open / Flag for cross-investigation

• Federal non-disclosure directive watch: No tier-1 evidence (as of 2026-05-06) that the May 2026 ICE federal non-disclosure directive (Madan/FL/TX-documented) has been imposed on NY 287(g) jurisdictions. However, the missed 90-day federal death-report deadline and Sheriff non-response to footage requests are consistent with information-suppression behavior. Inferred, not confirmed.
• Cause-of-death revision: The shift from “liver failure” to “alcohol withdrawal” matters because alcohol withdrawal is a treatable, predictable medical emergency requiring intake screening — pointing to potential negligence/protocol failure rather than unavoidable underlying disease. Family civil suit posture not yet filed in available sourcing.

Sources

• NYIC: Death shows need to end 287(g) agreements (Sep 2025)
• LI Herald: ICE detainee may have died from liver failure
• Long Island Advocate: Death sparks protest
• LI Press: ICE detainee found dead (Sep 2025)
• NYCLU: First NY lawsuit over unlawful deputization in Nassau (June 2025)
• La Voce di New York: ICE Misses Deadline to Produce Report on Death of Detainee in Long Island (Jan 8, 2026)
• Long Island Advocate: State court ruling allows Nassau to continue cooperating with ICE (Feb 2026)
• Governor Hochul: Local Cops, Local Crimes Act announcement (Jan 30, 2026)
• NPR: NY Gov. Hochul seeks to ban police cooperation deals with ICE (Feb 3, 2026)
• NY Focus: Hochul Proposed Banning ICE Collaboration Contracts (Jan 31, 2026)
• Spectrum: Blakeman won’t rule out suing over Hochul ICE plan (Feb 3, 2026)
• News10: Blakeman defies state plan to end ICE cooperation
• Hofstra/Northwell: Death of Reyes While in Jail — alcohol-withdrawal commentary (Feb 9, 2026)
• AOL: Family challenges ICE’s presumed cause of death for Honduran father
• ICE: Detainee Death Report — REYES Banegas, Santos (PDF)
• ABC7: Nassau on track to detain 3,000 for ICE this year
• The City: Outside NYC’s ‘Sanctuary City,’ Local Police Routinely Collude With ICE (Apr 16, 2026)
• NY Focus: Local Police in Westchester, Long Island Routinely Help ICE (Apr 16, 2026)
• LI Press: Long Island ICE arrests hit record high (Apr 14, 2026)
• WWNY: Hochul seeks limits on ICE in new state budget (Apr 19, 2026)