Democrats in a New York suburb are rushing to pass a law blocking county workers from cooperating with ICE – as a Republican congressman blasted the effort as a campaign strategy.
The Democrat-run Rockland County legislature is set to introduce an Immigration Protection Act to limit or bar county law enforcement and other workers from cooperating with federal immigration officials in the wake of federal agents fatally shooting two citizens during raucous protests in Minneapolis.
US Rep. Mike Lawler, whose 17th District includes all of Rockland, slammed one of the bill’s architects, Democrat Beth Davidson, who is trying to win the nomination in a party primary with the goal of taking on the incumbent in the November elections.
“Make no mistake, Beth Davidson’s public push to have Rockland County adopt the same radical ‘Sanctuary’ policies for illegal immigrants as New York City or Minneapolis can be summed up in one sentence: Beth Davidson is willing to sacrifice the safety of Rockland County residents for the support of far-left radical Democrats she believes can help her win her congressional primary,” Lawler told The Post.
The title of the bill was attached to the county legislature’s public safety agenda Tuesday night for a future hearing, without an accompanying draft or text of the bill.
County Executive Ed Day, a Republican, said Democrats forwarded a copy of a law using the same name that was approved by the legislature in neighboring Westchester County in 2018.
That law:
- Bars county employees and law enforcement from proactively cooperating with ICE, unless it involves a criminal investigation or criminal activity.
- Bars honoring immigration detainers — absent a judicial warrant — or providing notification of the release of illegal migrants.
- Prohibits telling immigration authorities an individual’s immigration status
Day, a retired NYPD lieutenant commander, said he would veto the bill.
“There’s no way I would support this horrible legislation. It’s reckless,” Day told The Post Thursday.
“Rockland will not become a sanctuary county under my watch,” added Day.
He accused Democrats of trying to exploit the tragedies in Minneapolis by introducing the bill “on a political whim” after saying nothing about immigration enforcement for years.
Lawler said if the legislation were passed it would create additional legal and bureaucratic hurdles for law enforcement while while prioritizing “immigration status protections over public safety considerations, tying the hands of police officers and corrections officials.”
Davidson defended the proposed law, which she’s calling the “Our Safety and Dignity for All Act.”
“That’s nonsense and Mike Lawler knows it,” Davidson said. “He likes to write strongly worded op-eds and letters, I prefer action. Our Safety and Dignity for All Act will protect all Rockland residents from Trump’s rogue ICE agents while complying with judicial warrants and following the law.”
Her office said under the legislation, no one involved in criminal conduct will be shielded from accountability or deportation, and the county will comply with judicial warrants and follow the law.
She confirmed the bill being drafted is based off of Westchester’s “Immigrant Protection Act,” and noted that Westchester is not included in the Trump administration’s list of “Sanctuary Counties.”
Jay Hood, the head of the county legislature, had no immediate comment.
Democrats have a supermajority in the Rockland legislature, meaning they would have the votes to override Day’s threatened veto if they vote in unison.
Americans’ furor over the shooting horrors of citizens in Minneapolis has emboldened Democrats to take stronger actions to rein in President Trump and ICE, even in swing counties such as Rockland.
New York City has a sanctuary law limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Gov. Kathy Hochul recently proposed legislation to bar ICE raids at sensitive locations such as schools, houses of worship and hospitals without a judicial warrant.
She also proposed a measure allowing New Yorkers to sue ICE and other federal agents for violating their constitutional rights in state court
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