The Fight

The Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN) et al. v. Patrick Ryder et al. is the first lawsuit in New York State history to challenge a 287(g) immigration enforcement agreement. Filed June 24, 2025 in Nassau County Supreme Court, the case targets Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s March 2025 decision to deputize 10 Nassau County detectives as ICE agents — giving them authority to stop, question, and arrest residents they believe are in the country without authorization. Brought by the NYCLU, Latino Justice PRLDEF, and the Hofstra Law Clinic on behalf of community organizations and individual residents, the case tests whether a 287(g) agreement can survive New York’s strong anti-racial-profiling legal framework.

Timeline

• 2025-03: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman executes a 287(g) Task Force agreement with ICE; 10 county detectives are formally deputized as ICE agents
• 2025-06-24: CARECEN, HAFALI (Haitian American Family of Long Island), the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, civil rights activist Marc Soto, and an anonymous undocumented resident file an Article 78 petition in Nassau County Supreme Court seeking to void the agreement; NYCLU, Latino Justice PRLDEF, and Hofstra Law Clinic represent plaintiffs
• 2025-08-29: Nassau County files opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction
• 2025-09-05: Plaintiffs file reply brief
• 2025-09-08: Letter filed opposing oral argument request
• 2026-01-30: Governor Hochul introduces the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which would void all 287(g) agreements statewide — including Nassau’s — as a matter of state law; Blakeman is the most prominent opponent
• 2026-02-13: As of this date, Judge Danielle M. Peterson has issued no published ruling on the preliminary injunction; case remains pending

Key Actors

• NYCLU, Latino Justice PRLDEF, Hofstra Law Clinic — co-counsel for plaintiffs
• CARECEN (Central American Refugee Center) — lead plaintiff; Long Island immigrant services organization
• HAFALI (Haitian American Family of Long Island) — co-plaintiff
• Episcopal Diocese of Long Island — co-plaintiff; signaling institutional church opposition
• Bruce Blakeman — Nassau County Executive; signed the agreement and is defending it in court
• Patrick Ryder — Nassau County Police Commissioner; named defendant
• Judge Danielle M. Peterson — Nassau County Supreme Court

Legal Theory

The lawsuit is filed as an Article 78 petition — a New York state procedural vehicle for challenging government agency action. Plaintiffs argue:

1. State law preemption: Nassau’s agreement violates New York statutes prohibiting local law enforcement from conducting civil immigration enforcement
2. People v. DeBour violation: New York’s 1976 stop-and-question standard requires suspicion of a crime; being undocumented is a civil violation, not a crime — so 287(g) authority to stop people on immigration suspicion alone is unlawful under state law
3. Fourth Amendment: Authorizing stops based on perceived immigration status invites unconstitutional searches and seizures
4. Equal protection / racial profiling: In practice, the agreement targets Latino and Black residents; witnesses document enforcement concentrated in communities of color

Connections

This case connects directly to Gov. Hochul’s Local Cops, Local Crimes Act (see ny-statewide-local-cops-local-crimes-act.md), which would render 287(g) agreements unlawful statewide. The Nassau 287(g) agreement is also the factual backdrop for plaintiff incidents described in the statewide warrantless-arrest class action (see ny-statewide-warrantless-arrests-racial-profiling.md).

Sources

• NYCLU press release: First NY 287(g) lawsuit filed (Jun 24, 2025) — Full plaintiff list, legal theories, and organizational statements
• NYCLU case page: CARECEN et al. v. Ryder — Ongoing case updates
• Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse: Case 46933 — Docket chronology including motion dates
• Long Island Press: NYCLU sues Nassau County over ICE enforcement (Jun 26, 2025) — Local coverage with community reaction
• City & State NY: Nassau lawsuit could expand sanctuary policies (Jun 2025) — Legal and political analysis
• City Limits: ICE agreements have exploded in NY (2025) — Statewide context on 287(g) proliferation