After the Rensselaer County executive and sheriff said they would not follow a state order to end 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, residents are now calling on the county legislature to take action.
The Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office was one of 12 local law enforcement agencies notified on July 24 that it had one month to end its support of federal immigration agents conducting civil immigration enforcement. A law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul this spring bans the so-called 287(g) agreements.
In a Facebook post last week, Republican County Executive Steve McLaughlin responded to the order from the state Office of Immigrant Trust.
"Rest assured, this letter will not be complied with," McLaughlin said. "We will continue to participate in the 287(g) program here in Rensselaer County. I will defy you."
At a public forum hosted by the Rensselaer County Legislature on Wednesday, residents crowded the gallery in protest. One resident who spoke during the forum was Susan Pattonaud.
"The perception is that the County, in its relationship with the federal government and in supporting that program and in supporting that program in the jails, it is extending it out into the street," Pattonaud said. "Whether that's real or not, it doesn't matter. That's what has the chilling effect on people, and it makes our communities less safe."
Legislature Minority Leader Democrat Mark Fleming hopes McLaughlin and Sheriff Kyle Bourgault reconsider their stance.
"For the county sheriff to blatantly say he is going to break the law, its unconscionable," Fleming said. "I would hope that the county executive and the county sheriff can honor their solemn oath."
Although there are no active legislative efforts to address the issue, residents called on legislators to rescind the agreement before the Aug. 25 deadline.
The legislature's next meeting is set for Tuesday.