This page is information, not legal advice. New York enacted major immigration enforcement protections in its May 2026 budget, including banning 287(g) agreements statewide, banning county jail ICE contracts, requiring existing ICE jail contracts to terminate within three months, unmasking law enforcement, and creating state-level civil rights claims. Nassau County had detained more than 3,200 people for ICE from February 2025 through March 2026. NYC's Welcoming City protections remain in place. ICE still operates independently. Verify current conditions with Make the Road New York, the NYCLU, or a licensed immigration attorney.
New York's immigration enforcement landscape involves the most protective major city in the country - New York City, with decades of Welcoming City protections - sitting in the same state as Nassau County on Long Island, which became one of the most aggressive ICE detention counties in the country. The state spent most of 2025 with this contradiction in place, while advocates pushed for comprehensive statewide protections.
In May 2026, the New York State Legislature passed the Public Protection and General Government (PPGG) budget bill, which contained Governor Hochul's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act plus additional provisions. The law bans 287(g) agreements statewide, bans Intergovernmental Support Agreements (IGSAs) that pay county jails to hold ICE detainees, requires existing ICE jail contracts in New York to be terminated within three months, requires all law enforcement officers operating in New York to be unmasked and identifiable, creates a state-level cause of action for federal constitutional violations, and establishes school protections for children with detained parents.
These protections are among the most comprehensive in the country in some respects. They also represent a legislative compromise - the broader New York for All Act, which would have banned informal cooperation like information sharing and status inquiries, was not enacted. Informal cooperation between local agencies and ICE continues unless specifically covered by the PPGG provisions.
Part 1: Your rights under federal law - everywhere, including New York
These rights come from the U.S. Constitution. They apply in New York regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or how you entered the country.
At your front door
The Fourth Amendment protects your home from government entry without your consent or a judicial warrant. A judicial warrant is signed by a federal judge, based on probable cause, and authorizes entry to a specific address. An administrative warrant - ICE Form I-200 or I-205 - is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge, and does not authorize entry to your home without your consent. Ask through the door which type of warrant is being presented. If it is administrative, you are not required to open the door. A 2017 executive order by then-Governor Cuomo, upheld by federal courts in November 2025, prohibits civil immigration arrests without a judicial warrant inside nonpublic areas of state facilities.
During a traffic stop or street encounter
You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration history, or your status. You can say you are exercising your right to remain silent and want to speak to a lawyer. You can ask whether you are free to go. If the officer says yes, you may calmly leave.
Do not lie and do not provide false documents. Silence is a legal right. False statements are a separate crime. Many families carry a printed card asserting these rights.
At your workplace
ICE may enter public areas of a workplace without a warrant. Private areas generally require a judicial warrant or employer consent. You have the right to remain silent in any workplace encounter.
Do not sign anything without a lawyer
Documents presented during an ICE arrest may include voluntary departure agreements or stipulated removal orders that waive your right to a hearing before an immigration judge. Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney first.
Part 2: The May 2026 Public Protection Budget - what it does
The PPGG budget bill passed by the New York Legislature in May 2026 contains several significant immigration enforcement provisions.
287(g) agreements banned statewide
The law bans all local law enforcement agencies in New York State from entering into, maintaining, or renewing 287(g) agreements with ICE. This applies to all counties, including Nassau County, which had the most active 287(g) task force agreement in the state. Local law enforcement agencies may no longer be formally deputized to perform federal immigration enforcement functions.
ICE jail contracts (IGSAs) banned - three-month termination
The law also bans Intergovernmental Support Agreements - contracts through which county jails receive payment from ICE for holding immigration detainees. County jails with active ICE detention contracts must terminate those contracts within three months of the law's passage. County jails with active ICE contracts included Orange, Broome, Allegany, Montgomery, Clinton, Niagara, Nassau, Rensselaer, and St. Lawrence counties. Nassau County had detained over 3,200 New Yorkers for ICE from February 2025 through March 2026 under its combined 287(g) and IGSA contracts.
Unmasking requirement
The PPGG law requires all law enforcement officers operating in New York - including federal agents - to be unmasked and identifiable while on duty in the state. This addresses the practice of masked ICE agents conducting operations without visible identification, which had been a source of significant concern and confusion during enforcement operations.
State-level civil rights claims - New York Bivens
The law creates a state-level cause of action for federal constitutional violations, modeled on the federal Bivens doctrine but operating in New York state court. This allows New Yorkers whose federal constitutional rights are violated by government agents - including ICE agents - to bring civil lawsuits for damages, distress, and attorneys' fees in New York state court. This creates a legal accountability mechanism that did not previously exist at the state level.
School protections
The law addresses what happens when parents are arrested by federal agents. Schools cannot share student personal information with ICE or use school resources for immigration enforcement. Schools cannot release a student to ICE custody because a parent was detained. Childcare programs must create safety plans to care for children until an authorized guardian retrieves them.
Part 3: What the PPGG law does not cover - the New York for All gap
The PPGG law is more protective than anything New York has had before. It is also more limited than what the New York for All Act would have done. The New York for All Act - the broader legislation advocated by immigrant rights groups and sponsored by State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Karines Reyes - would have also banned the informal cooperation that the PPGG does not address.
Under the PPGG, local agencies can still: alert ICE when an immigrant is being released from custody, share information about individuals with ICE, respond to ICE questions about people they have arrested, and cooperate informally in ways not specifically prohibited. These informal cooperation channels were documented extensively across New York counties and remain legal after the PPGG. Families should know that local police may still contact ICE even without a formal 287(g) agreement, unless their specific locality has additional restrictions.
New York City's Welcoming City ordinance goes further than the PPGG by also limiting informal cooperation in important ways. Families in New York City benefit from the combined protection of the city's Welcoming City policies and the statewide PPGG provisions.
Part 4: New York City - the Welcoming City
New York City has had sanctuary policies since the 1980s. The current Welcoming City Ordinance (also known as Executive Order 41) prohibits city agencies and employees from asking about immigration status in most circumstances and prohibits sharing immigration information with federal authorities except in defined circumstances involving serious criminal matters.
NYC police officers will not cooperate with ICE for civil immigration enforcement. If you are arrested by NYPD in New York City and ICE files a civil detainer, NYPD policy is not to hold you beyond your release date on that civil detainer. The Welcoming City protections apply to city agencies - including hospitals, schools, and city social services - as well as police.
ICE still operates directly in New York City. Federal agents conduct enforcement operations independently of local police throughout the five boroughs. Courthouse arrests, workplace operations, and community enforcement have all occurred in New York City despite the Welcoming City Ordinance. The city has budgeted $78.4 million for immigrant legal services to support communities facing enforcement.
Part 5: Nassau County - what changed and what remains
Nassau County on Long Island was the most aggressive ICE-partnering county in New York. Under County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County maintained both a 287(g) Task Force agreement and an IGSA jail contract. From February 2025 to March 2026, Nassau County law enforcement detained more than 3,200 people for ICE. The county's task force model allowed deputies to conduct immigration enforcement during routine patrol activities, not just in the jail.
Under the PPGG budget law, Nassau County's 287(g) agreement is terminated and its IGSA jail contract must end within three months of the law's passage. This represents a significant change for families on Long Island and in Nassau County communities. The practical effect on enforcement in Nassau County - particularly whether ICE increases direct operations to compensate for the loss of local partnership - should be monitored with current sources. ICE does not require local cooperation to operate in Nassau County.
Part 6: What to do right now, before anything happens
Know your A-number and make sure trusted family members have it written down. With Nassau County's jail contract ending, ICE detainees from New York may increasingly be held at federal facilities or out-of-state locations.
Know where you are in New York. New York City's Welcoming City protections offer robust limits on local police cooperation. In Nassau County and other Long Island and upstate communities, the PPGG's ban on 287(g) and IGSA contracts changes the formal landscape but not direct ICE operations.
Know that the PPGG requires officers operating in New York to be identifiable and unmasked. If federal agents conducting an enforcement operation in New York are masked and refusing to identify themselves, this may violate state law.
Identify an immigration attorney before you need one. New York City has one of the largest immigration legal services ecosystems in the country. Make the Road New York, the New York Immigration Coalition, and the NYCLU are primary resources. The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs hotline is 1-800-354-0365.
Prepare guardianship documents for any children. The PPGG requires childcare programs to have safety plans for children when parents are detained. Make sure your plan is in place and documented before anything happens.
Set up a financial power of attorney so a trusted person can manage accounts and property if you are detained.
Part 7: Legal help and resources in New York
Make the Road New York has been at the center of advocacy for the New York for All Act and the PPGG immigration provisions. They provide direct services and legal connections across New York City and Long Island. Their website is maketheroadny.org.
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) has been active on New York's enforcement landscape, the New York for All Act, and the PPGG provisions. Their website is nyclu.org.
The New York Immigration Coalition is the statewide umbrella organization for immigrant advocacy and coordinates legal resources and advocacy across the state.
Legal Services NYC provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers including immigration matters. Their website is legalservicesnyc.org.
The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs maintains a hotline at 1-800-354-0365 and can be reached by calling 311 and saying 'Immigration.' They can connect callers to immigration legal services.
For immigration court case information, call the EOIR automated line at 1-800-898-7180. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. New York detainees may be held at county jails (while IGSA contracts are winding down), the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey, or other federal facilities. Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 if your person does not appear in the locator.
Immigration Advocates Network lists New York legal providers at immigrationadvocates.org.
New York enacted the most comprehensive statewide immigration enforcement protection legislation in the state's history in May 2026, banning 287(g) agreements, ending county jail ICE contracts, requiring officer identification, creating state civil rights claims, and protecting children in schools. Nassau County - which had detained over 3,200 people for ICE in just over a year - must end its agreements under this law. New York City's Welcoming City protections remain in place. ICE still operates independently throughout New York and does not need local cooperation to conduct enforcement. Your federal constitutional rights apply in full: an administrative warrant does not authorize entry to your home, your right to remain silent is unchanged, and you cannot be compelled to sign anything without a lawyer. Knowing those rights, the scope of the PPGG's protections, and the limits of what it covers are the foundations for protecting your family in New York.
This page reflects conditions as of mid-2026. The PPGG budget bill passed in May 2026. County jails with ICE IGSA contracts had three months to terminate those contracts. Nassau County's 287(g) agreement was banned. The New York for All Act was not enacted. Verify the current status of IGSA terminations and any new legislation with Make the Road New York or the NYCLU.