Attorney General James and Governor Hochul Announce Lawsuit Against Rensselaer County Sheriff for Violating New York’s Local Cops, Local Crimes Act

August 27, 2026

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a lawsuit against the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office for failing to comply with New York's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act (LCLCA), which requires local law enforcement agencies to dissolve all agreements under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act by August 25, 2026. The law prohibits local governments and law enforcement agencies from entering or remaining in 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These agreements deputize local law enforcement officers to perform federal civil immigration enforcement functions.

"All law enforcement agencies are expected to uphold New York's laws," said Attorney General James. "The Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office has been given every opportunity to follow the law, yet has chosen not to. My office is suing to enforce New York's laws and ensure that local law enforcement agencies remain focused on their most fundamental responsibility: keeping New Yorkers safe."

"Compliance with the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act is not optional. Rensselaer County's failure to act in accordance with the law sends a clear message: these elected leaders are not serious about New Yorkers' safety," said Governor Hochul. "Today, we are taking action to ensure the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office performs the duties required of it under state law, because no one in New York State is above the law."

Section 287(g) agreements are agreements between ICE and state or local law enforcement agencies that allow local officers to perform certain federal civil immigration enforcement functions. Depending on the agreement, local officers can be authorized to question, arrest, and detain people for suspected violations of federal civil immigration law. The LCLCA, signed into law by Governor Hochul on May 27, 2026, prohibits local law enforcement agencies from entering or remaining in these agreements with the federal government. The law required agencies that already had these agreements to exercise their termination provisions within 90 days, by August 25, 2026. Any covered agreement still in effect on that date is deemed void and unenforceable under state law.

The Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office has maintained a 287(g) agreement with ICE since March 2020. After the LCLCA was enacted, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) notified the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office of the new law and requested information regarding the status of the agency's 287(g) agreement. The OAG did not receive a response confirming that the agreement had been terminated or would be terminated by the August 25 deadline. On August 19, OAG issued a formal investigative demand pursuant to New York Executive Law Section 63-E, or subpoena, seeking documents sufficient to show what actions the agency had taken to terminate its 287(g) agreement. The OAG still has not received confirmation that the agreement has been terminated. Meanwhile, officials in Rensselaer County have made public statements indicating their intent to defy the law, with one telling a reporter that OAG and the Governor's Office "could take that letter, crumple it up and shove it."

Of the 12 law enforcement agencies that had 287(g) agreements before the LCLCA took effect, the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office is the only one that has not indicated its intent to dissolve its agreement.

The state alleges that the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office has failed to perform duties required of it under state law. The suit requests that the Rensselaer County Supreme Court order the Sheriff's Office to exercise the termination provisions in its 287(g) agreement and to declare the agreement void and unenforceable under New York law.

Today's lawsuit is the first legal action brought by the OAG's newly established Office of Immigrant Trust (OIT) under the LCLCA. The OIT was created to enforce New York laws limiting state and local involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement and is authorized to investigate potential violations and bring civil actions when warranted.

In June, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a federal lawsuit challenging the LCLCA. On August 3, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York denied the federal government's request to block New York's ban on 287(g) agreements, allowing the state's August 25 deadline to unwind these agreements to remain in effect.